- Self-referral for bowel scans reduces agonizing wait times
- Patients currently require primary care physician visits for referral
- Direct fecal tests may expedite IBD diagnosis process
Soon, individuals who have a suspicion of having bowel illness would have the ability to self-refer for a scan, sparing them months of agonizing symptoms while waiting.
Patients who are suspected of having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are currently required to visit their primary care physician before being referred to a hospital for a diagnosis.
A physician will then request that the patient undergo a fecal calprotectin test, which searches for inflammation-associated proteins in the bowels.
However, inflammation may also indicate food poisoning or other ailments; therefore, patients are referred to a specialist, who will determine whether a colonoscopy – a procedure to examine the interior of the bowels – is necessary.
This protracted procedure, according to experts, can take months. This is cause for concern, as research indicates that patients with IBD who delay longer have a greater chance of developing complications that necessitate surgical intervention.
In contrast, two fecal tests administered to patients approximately two weeks apart have been shown to effectively detect the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), allowing for direct referral to a colonoscopy.
According to gastroenterologist and study author Dr. Peter Rimmer of the University of Birmingham, patients may seek fecal tests directly from the NHS in the future, bypassing the need to consult a primary care physician.
Approximately 800,000 individuals in the United Kingdom suffer from IBD. An estimated 500,000 individuals are afflicted with Crohn’s disease, an incurable disorder characterized by inflammation of a portion of the digestive tract.
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Just under 300,000 individuals suffer from colon and rectum-affected ulcerative colitis.
Although neither condition is curable, medication can be used to alleviate symptoms. These are typically most efficacious when administered in the early stages.
767 patients with symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease participated in the study and were offered repetitive fecal calprotectin tests in the weeks preceding a colonoscopy.
They completed a symptom-related questionnaire to exclude alternative medical conditions. It was demonstrated that two positive results significantly predicted an IBD diagnosis.
Dr. Rimmer stated, “We believe that our findings will pave the way for patients to request faecal tests directly from their GPs, which is an exciting possibility.”
This may enable them to obtain a diagnosis within a few weeks.
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