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).
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
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
Latest Pathology News
- AI Spatial Analysis of Routine Slides Helps Predict Pancreatic Cancer Recurrence
- Hybrid Computational Imaging Method Improves Digital Pathology Resolution
- FDA Clearance Expands Digital Pathology Options for Clinical Laboratories
- Label-Free Imaging Reveals Hidden Immune Activity in Blood Samples
- AI Tool Improves Prediction of Immunotherapy Response in Lung Cancer
- New Journal Addresses Evolving Needs in Clinical and Translational Pathology
- AI Matches Pathologists in Predicting Breast Cancer Prognosis from Immune Cells
- AI-Pathologist Framework Improves Accuracy and Reliability in Cancer Diagnosis
- New Review Highlights Intelligent Agents as Next Step for Digital Pathology
- Simple Immunohistochemical Size Ratio Improves Classification of Primary Aldosteronism
- AI Links Organ-Specific Aging Patterns in Histology to Blood-Based Signals
- 30-Minute 3D Histology Tool Supports Intraoperative Glioma Margin Assessment
- AI Uses H&E Slides to Predict Key Biomarkers Across 32 Cancers
- AI Tool Identifies Slide Artifacts to Speed Digital Pathology Diagnosis
- FDA-Cleared Digital Pathology Platform Expands Interoperability for Primary Diagnosis
- AI Pathology Tool Predicts Relapse Risk in Stage II Colorectal Cancer
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
International Consensus Guidance Outlines General Population Screening for Early-Stage Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that can develop in childhood or adulthood and affects an estimated 9.5 million people worldwide. Its complications range from acute diabetic ketoacidosis... Read more
Algorithm Uses Blood Biomarkers to Improve Alzheimer’s Trial Screening
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes memory loss and functional decline. Screening cognitively healthy adults for prevention trials is slow and costly because many... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Blood Protein Analysis Helps Interpret Uncertain Rare Disease Variants
Many patients with suspected rare genetic conditions remain undiagnosed even after genome or exome sequencing, leaving clinicians with limited evidence to interpret uncertain variants. Variants of uncertain... Read more
40-Gene Test Validated for High-Risk Squamous Cell Carcinoma
High-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) requires accurate stratification to align surveillance and adjuvant therapy with each patient’s risk. Clinicopathologic staging alone may not precisely... Read moreImmunology
view channel
New Cellular Map May Help Predict Crohn’s Disease Course in Children
Crohn’s disease in children is a common and debilitating form of inflammatory bowel disease, marked by chronic intestinal inflammation and limited pediatric-specific treatments. Clinicians must decide... Read more
Temporal Immune Profiling Reveals How Sepsis States Change Over Time
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition in which the immune response to infection becomes dysregulated, leading to rapid organ failure and death. Although antimicrobials and organ support remain standard... Read more
Study Identifies Immune Cells That Drive Harmful Autoantibody Responses in COVID-19
Autoantibodies that mistakenly attack the body’s own tissues have been linked to severe COVID-19, Long COVID, and increased risk of autoimmune disease. However, the origins of these autoantibodies during... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Research Strengthens Bundibugyo Virus Outbreak Readiness with Faster Diagnostics
Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), a species of ebolavirus, causes severe hemorrhagic disease and can be difficult to diagnose rapidly during outbreaks. Recent regulatory changes have further complicated swift deployment... Read more
Gut Microbiome Classifier Improves Colorectal Cancer Risk Stratification
Colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of cancer mortality, and current noninvasive screening methods still miss many precancerous lesions. Clinicians therefore need tools that improve risk stratification... Read morePathology
view channel
AI Spatial Analysis of Routine Slides Helps Predict Pancreatic Cancer Recurrence
Predicting which patients with pancreatic cancer will recur after treatment and surgery remains challenging. Pathology evaluation typically measures residual tumor burden, but recent work found that tumor... Read more
Hybrid Computational Imaging Method Improves Digital Pathology Resolution
Digital pathology depends on high-resolution whole-slide imaging to capture diagnostically relevant cellular and tissue features, yet conventional methods often force trade-offs between speed, cost, and detail.... Read moreTechnology
view channel
New Multipurpose Centrifuge Combines High Capacity with Sustainable Cooling
Laboratories often need centrifugation that accommodates multiple vessel formats while maintaining controlled temperatures to protect sensitive samples. Intuitive controls and repeatable operation can... Read more
Bacterial Vesicle Expression System Streamlines Production of Cancer Diagnostic Proteins
Recombinant proteins are central to many cancer diagnostics and therapies, but numerous targets remain difficult and costly to produce because they are unstable, toxic to microbial hosts, or require precise folding.... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Sysmex and Cytek Collaboration Expands Access to Advanced Clinical Flow Cytometry
Sysmex Europe SE (Hamburg, Germany) and Cytek Biosciences (Fremont, CA, USA) are partnering across more than a dozen European countries to expand access to advanced clinical flow cytometry.... Read more





.jpg)

