In the past, we were really okay with clinical remission. As long as patient symptoms were to the level that we call the clinical remission, that was good enough. Nowadays, we understand that many of these instances that we think the patient is in clinical remission, they are not in deep mucosal remission,” Dr. Ashkan Farhadi a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in California, told Medical News Today.

Heat waves: People with Crohn's disease have anecdotally reported a heat wave may trigger a flare. Some research has found evidence to support this claim. When preparing for any diagnostic tests, speak with your doctor to find out how to prepare for each upcoming test. This could include avoiding specific foods, fasting, avoiding certain medications or supplements, avoiding smoking, or avoiding intense physical activity. The guidelines recommend biomarkers be used alongside imaging studies and colonoscopies, and at different intervals depending on the patient. Park J, Yoon H, Shin CM, et al. Clinical factors to predict flare-up in patients with inflammatory bowel disease during international air travel: A prospective study. PLoS One. 2022;17(1):e0262571. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0262571. CRP proteins are not only found in the gut. You may show a higher level of CRP if you have inflammation somewhere else in your body. Also, you may have inflammation in your body but show a normal level of CRP in your blood. Liver function tests (LFT)C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a protein made by the liver that can be found in the blood. The level of CRP increases when there’s inflammation in your body. A CRP test is a blood test that measures the levels of these proteins (called inflammatory markers). If you have a higher level of CRP in your blood than usual, it could be a sign that you are in a flare-up or that treatment has not been effective. If the CRP level in your blood drops, it could be a sign that inflammation is reducing and your treatment is working. Cox SR, Lindsay JO, Fromentin S, et al. Effects of low FODMAP diet on symptoms, fecal microbiome, and markers of inflammation in patients with quiescent inflammatory bowel disease in a randomized trial. Gastroenterology. 2020;158:176-188.e7. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2019.09.024. Corticosteroids: Cortisone, prednisone and other corticosteroids ease inflammation brought on by autoimmune disease. Also called colorectal cancer, it often has no noticeable symptoms until late. But when they do show up, the symptoms can mimic those of Crohn’s disease. An LFT is a blood test that shows how well your liver is working. It can also help diagnose rare liver complications of Crohn’s or Colitis, such as Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). PSC is a condition which causes the tubes (ducts) carrying bile from the liver to the gut to become inflamed.

Carefully follow any instructions given to you about how to prepare. Otherwise, the colonoscopy may not be able to happen. Some people taking adalimumab or infliximab will have a blood test taken to see if you have developed antibodies against these medicines. Developing antibodies is a response from your immune system which leads to the medicines becoming less effective. Thiopurine metabolite testing

Advantages of the SmarTest® Calprotectin Home stool test

Medicine to help you relax, called sedation. This medicine is given through a needle into your vein, usually in your arm. You will be asked to take barium in different ways depending on the part of the gut that is being looked at. The SmarTest app scans and analyses the faecal calprotectin test result according to the intensity of the control and test lines on the lateral flow test. The quantitative results of the test are then sent automatically to the Online Portal for the patient’s IBD clinical team to monitor remotely. The SmarTest Calprotectin Home test app also features a clinically validated disease activity questionnaire for Monitoring IBD at home (MIAH), providing a subjective approach to evaluating disease activity in conjunction with the bowel inflammation test. When the inflammation is going on, basically the disease is actually going on at a subclinical level. The long term consequences of this is long term damage to mucosa,” he added. Blood and stool samples can be tested for things like inflammation – which could be due to Crohn's disease – and infections. It may take a few days or weeks to get the results. Referral to a specialist