We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

LabMedica

Download Mobile App
Recent News Expo Medica 2025 Clinical Chem. Molecular Diagnostics Hematology Immunology Microbiology Pathology Technology Industry Focus

Eosinophilic Biomarker Found for Aggressive IBD

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 14 Dec 2017
Image: Peripheral bloods smear showing five eosinophils, from a patient with eosinophilia (Photo courtesy of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto).
Image: Peripheral bloods smear showing five eosinophils, from a patient with eosinophilia (Photo courtesy of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto).
Peripheral blood eosinophilia (PBE) in inflammatory bowel disease is associated with ulcerative colitis (UC) and active disease. Little data exist on the long-term impact of PBE on disease course.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term mainly used to describe two conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are long-term conditions that involve inflammation of the gut. Ulcerative colitis only affects the colon or large intestine.

A large group of medical scientists working with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pittsburgh, PN, USA) performed a registry analysis of a consented, prospective, natural history IBD cohort at a tertiary center from 2009 to 2014. Demographics, comorbidities, disease activity, healthcare utilization, and time to hospitalization or surgical resection of patients who displayed PBE were compared to patients without PBE.

The team reported that of the 2,066 IBD patients, 19.2% developed PBE. PBE was significantly associated with UC, extensive colitis, and shorter disease duration. Over six years, PBE patients had more active disease, concurrent C-reactive protein elevation, healthcare utilization (hospitalization and IBD surgery), and more aggressive medical therapy (prednisone and anti- tumor necrosis factor). Patients with PBE had a significantly reduced time to hospitalization in both UC and Crohn’s disease (CD) and reduced time to colectomy in UC. PBE remained significantly associated with hospitalization and surgery in both CD and UC. New diagnosis of UC with PBE was associated with increased steroid and anti- tumor necrosis factor requirement.

The authors concluded that the multi-year study of a large IBD cohort suggests that peripheral blood eosinophilia represents a biomarker of a distinct IBD subgroup, with a unique inflammatory signature, and at risk for worse clinical outcomes. The study was published on November 7, 2017, in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Related Links:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Gold Member
Immunochromatographic Assay
CRYPTO Cassette
POC Helicobacter Pylori Test Kit
Hepy Urease Test
Gold Member
Automatic Hematology Analyzer
DH-800 Series
Automated Chemiluminescence Immunoassay Analyzer
MS-i3080

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The world’s largest metabolomic dataset sets the stage for pinprick tests to predict disease years before symptoms (Photo courtesy of Nightingale Health)

Pinprick Blood Test Could Detect Disease 10 Years Before Symptoms Appear

Many serious conditions begin silently years before symptoms appear, yet routine screening rarely detects these early physiological shifts. A powerful new solution is emerging: pinprick blood tests driven... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The SMART-ID Assay delivers broad pathogen detection without the need for culture (Photo courtesy of Scanogen)

Rapid Assay Identifies Bloodstream Infection Pathogens Directly from Patient Samples

Bloodstream infections in sepsis progress quickly and demand rapid, precise diagnosis. Current blood-culture methods often take one to five days to identify the pathogen, leaving clinicians to treat blindly... Read more
GLOBE SCIENTIFIC, LLC