info
Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Research: Comprehensive guideline on using biomarkers for monitoring Crohn's disease
49 views
Skip to first unread message
Luke Luke
Nov 17, 2023, 7:19:50 PM11/17/23
to
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231117102543.htm
Article: https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(23)05064-3/fulltext
Comprehensive guideline on using biomarkers for monitoring Crohn's disease
Date: November 17, 2023
Source: American Gastroenterological Association
Summary:
New AGA guideline outlines reliable blood and stool tests to monitor inflammation that can reduce how often patients need invasive endoscopy.
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) released a new evidence-based guideline recommending the use of blood and stool-based biomarkers to help manage Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is estimated to affect 2.74 million people in the U.S. The guideline was published today in Gastroenterology.
Biomarkers are blood or stool tests that can give more information on an underlying disease process. In the context of IBD, biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood and fecal calprotectin (FCP) in stool, can measure levels of inflammation. These levels can help doctors assess whether a patient's Crohn's disease is active or in remission.
AGA recommends the use of biomarkers in addition to colonoscopy and imaging studies.
"Patients' symptoms do not always match endoscopic findings, so biomarkers are a useful tool to understand and monitor the status of inflammation and guide decision making in patients with Crohn's disease," says guideline author Siddarth Singh, MD, MS, University of California, San Diego.
For patients in remission:
Check CRP and FCP every six to 12 months.
These tests work best if CRP and FCP levels have previously matched with disease activity seen on endoscopic assessment.
For patients experiencing active symptoms:
Check CRP and FCP every two to four months for patients experiencing an increase in symptoms (diarrhea and abdominal pain) to guide treatment adjustments.
Before making any major treatment plan changes, consider repeating endoscopic or radiologic assessments.
For patients after surgery:
FCP may be useful to monitor patients at low risk for disease recurrence.
However, radiologic or endoscopic assessment should be performed when a post-operative recurrence is suspected rather than relying on biomarkers.
"Based on this guideline, biomarkers are no longer considered experimental and should be an integral part of IBD care," says guideline author Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital.
This is a win for Crohn's disease patients. Biomarkers are usually easier to obtain, less invasive, more cost-effective than frequent colonoscopies and can be assessed more frequently for tighter disease control and better long-term outcomes in Crohn's disease."
...
Journal Reference:
Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, Jeremy Adler, Karen A. Chachu, Nghia H. Nguyen, Shazia M. Siddique, Jennifer M. Weiss, Shahnaz Sultan, Fernando S. Velayos, Benjamin L. Cohen, Siddharth Singh. AGA Clinical Practice Guideline on the Role of Biomarkers for the Management of Crohn’s Disease. Gastroenterology, 2023; 165 (6): 1367 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.09.029
--
Luke
Article: https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(23)05064-3/fulltext
Comprehensive guideline on using biomarkers for monitoring Crohn's disease
Date: November 17, 2023
Source: American Gastroenterological Association
Summary:
New AGA guideline outlines reliable blood and stool tests to monitor inflammation that can reduce how often patients need invasive endoscopy.
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) released a new evidence-based guideline recommending the use of blood and stool-based biomarkers to help manage Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is estimated to affect 2.74 million people in the U.S. The guideline was published today in Gastroenterology.
Biomarkers are blood or stool tests that can give more information on an underlying disease process. In the context of IBD, biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood and fecal calprotectin (FCP) in stool, can measure levels of inflammation. These levels can help doctors assess whether a patient's Crohn's disease is active or in remission.
AGA recommends the use of biomarkers in addition to colonoscopy and imaging studies.
"Patients' symptoms do not always match endoscopic findings, so biomarkers are a useful tool to understand and monitor the status of inflammation and guide decision making in patients with Crohn's disease," says guideline author Siddarth Singh, MD, MS, University of California, San Diego.
For patients in remission:
Check CRP and FCP every six to 12 months.
These tests work best if CRP and FCP levels have previously matched with disease activity seen on endoscopic assessment.
For patients experiencing active symptoms:
Check CRP and FCP every two to four months for patients experiencing an increase in symptoms (diarrhea and abdominal pain) to guide treatment adjustments.
Before making any major treatment plan changes, consider repeating endoscopic or radiologic assessments.
For patients after surgery:
FCP may be useful to monitor patients at low risk for disease recurrence.
However, radiologic or endoscopic assessment should be performed when a post-operative recurrence is suspected rather than relying on biomarkers.
"Based on this guideline, biomarkers are no longer considered experimental and should be an integral part of IBD care," says guideline author Ashwin Ananthakrishnan, MBBS, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital.
This is a win for Crohn's disease patients. Biomarkers are usually easier to obtain, less invasive, more cost-effective than frequent colonoscopies and can be assessed more frequently for tighter disease control and better long-term outcomes in Crohn's disease."
...
Journal Reference:
Ashwin N. Ananthakrishnan, Jeremy Adler, Karen A. Chachu, Nghia H. Nguyen, Shazia M. Siddique, Jennifer M. Weiss, Shahnaz Sultan, Fernando S. Velayos, Benjamin L. Cohen, Siddharth Singh. AGA Clinical Practice Guideline on the Role of Biomarkers for the Management of Crohn’s Disease. Gastroenterology, 2023; 165 (6): 1367 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.09.029
--
Luke
Mel
Nov 18, 2023, 11:27:58 AM11/18/23
to
sort of off topic. My son has crohns and isn't doing well. My wife has RA and I have psoriasis. In desperation, we tried something mentioned on a psoriasis site--a grounding mat. Basically, it's a rubber mat plugged into only the ground hole of an electric outlet. It seems to work--not a cure, but definitely lessens the problems. When I told this to my dermatologist, he rolled his eyes--as you are probably also doing. It might be worth trying for others.
Luke Luke
Nov 19, 2023, 12:21:44 PM11/19/23
to
Nah, its a weird world. So I did a little searching and found very little evidence for it, but there are some people checking it out.
Its still an outlier but this article is presenting some hypothesis to describe what is going on.
Journal of Inflammation Research - 2015
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/
Journal (open access): https://www.dovepress.com/the-effects-of-grounding-earthing-on-inflammation-the-immune-response--peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JIR
The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases
(Some of the photos shows wounds)
But the next article I found, in Explore, had this gem: "Earthing (grounding) connects people to the Earth's natural healing energy." And I stopped reading.
So it looks like some people are studying it and others are making absurd claims.
But, if it works for you, it works. I'm glad you found something that helps.
Take care,
--
Luke
Mel
Nov 20, 2023, 10:39:55 AM11/20/23
to
Luke Luke
Jan 3, 2024, 12:40:47 PMJan 3
to
On Monday, November 20, 2023 at 10:39:55 AM UTC-5, Mel wrote:
> It seems to be helping both my wife and me--not curing--but help is a big deal. If you want to see doctors roll their eyes, tell them about this. I told 2 doctors and they had enough self control that they didn't laugh out loud.
Hi Mel,
> It seems to be helping both my wife and me--not curing--but help is a big deal. If you want to see doctors roll their eyes, tell them about this. I told 2 doctors and they had enough self control that they didn't laugh out loud.
I did some digging and there is a little evidence for it, here are links to 3 journal articles about grounding. All from the same journal so take with a grain of salt.
Grounding – The universal anti-inflammatory remedy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10105021/
Practical applications of grounding to support health
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10105020/
Grounding (earthing) as related to electromagnetic hygiene: An integrative review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10105031/
--
Luke
0 new messages