Blood test predicts IBD 10 years before diagnosis — SkimNews
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- Researchers analyzed 2,000 blood serum samples from 500 people and detected 123,980 unique antibodies, identifying reduced antibody diversity up to a decade before IBD diagnosis
- Crohn’s disease was linked to elevated antibody responses to herpesviruses and bacterial flagellin, especially in cases progressing to complicated or ileal disease
- Ulcerative colitis showed increased antibody reactions to herpesviruses and autoantigens, alongside declining responses to encapsulated pathogens
- Machine learning models distinguished future Crohn’s cases from healthy controls with an AUC of 0.90 and ulcerative colitis with an AUC of 0.84, using blood data from up to 10 years prior
- Dr. Arno Bourgonje stated that complicated Crohn’s disease is associated with a distinct antibody profile years before symptoms appear, not just a result of disease progression
- The research team emphasized the need to validate findings in diverse, prospective populations and integrate antibody profiling with genetic and clinical markers before clinical use
Why it matters: People at risk for IBD could gain access to earlier diagnosis and tailored treatments if antibody testing proves predictive in broader populations, shifting care from reactive to preventive—though no immediate clinical change follows without validation and affordable assay development.
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