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
- New X-Ray Method Promises Advances in Histology
- Single-Cell Profiling Technique Could Guide Early Cancer Detection
- Intraoperative Tumor Histology to Improve Cancer Surgeries
- Rapid Stool Test Could Help Pinpoint IBD Diagnosis
- AI-Powered Label-Free Optical Imaging Accurately Identifies Thyroid Cancer During Surgery
- Deep Learning–Based Method Improves Cancer Diagnosis
- ADLM Updates Expert Guidance on Urine Drug Testing for Patients in Emergency Departments
- New Age-Based Blood Test Thresholds to Catch Ovarian Cancer Earlier
- Genetics and AI Improve Diagnosis of Aortic Stenosis
- AI Tool Simultaneously Identifies Genetic Mutations and Disease Type
- Rapid Low-Cost Tests Can Prevent Child Deaths from Contaminated Medicinal Syrups
- Tumor Signals in Saliva and Blood Enable Non-Invasive Monitoring of Head and Neck Cancer
- Common Health Issues Can Influence New Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease
- Blood Test Formula Identifies Chronic Liver Disease Patients with Higher Cancer Risk
- Tunable Cell-Sorting Device Holds Potential for Multiple Biomedical Applications
- AI Tool Outperforms Doctors in Spotting Blood Cell Abnormalities
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Study Compares Analytical Performance of Quantitative Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Assays
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to pose a significant global health challenge, with chronic infection affecting hundreds of millions of people despite effective vaccines and antiviral therapies.... Read more
Blood Test Could Predict and Identify Early Relapses in Myeloma Patients
Multiple myeloma is an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, and while many patients now live for more than a decade after diagnosis, a significant proportion relapse much earlier with poor outcomes.... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Blood Test Could Enable Earlier Detection of Liver Cancer Recurrence After Transplant
Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with more than 800,000 diagnoses and over 700,000 deaths each year. Disease recurrence after liver transplantation is common and is associated... Read more
AI Accurately Predicts Prematurity Complications in Newborns from Blood Samples
Premature birth is a leading cause of infant illness and long-term disability. However, doctors still struggle to predict which newborns will develop serious complications affecting the brain, lungs, eyes,... Read moreImmunology
view channelBlood Test Identifies Lung Cancer Patients Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy Drug
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with limited treatment options, and even newly approved immunotherapies do not benefit all patients. While immunotherapy can extend survival for some,... Read more
Whole-Genome Sequencing Approach Identifies Cancer Patients Benefitting From PARP-Inhibitor Treatment
Targeted cancer therapies such as PARP inhibitors can be highly effective, but only for patients whose tumors carry specific DNA repair defects. Identifying these patients accurately remains challenging,... Read more
Ultrasensitive Liquid Biopsy Demonstrates Efficacy in Predicting Immunotherapy Response
Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, but only a small proportion of patients experience lasting benefit, with response rates often remaining between 10% and 20%. Clinicians currently lack reliable... Read moreMicrobiology
view channelAI-Powered Platform Enables Rapid Detection of Drug-Resistant C. Auris Pathogens
Infections caused by the pathogenic yeast Candida auris pose a significant threat to hospitalized patients, particularly those with weakened immune systems or those who have invasive medical devices.... Read more
New Test Measures How Effectively Antibiotics Kill Bacteria
Antibiotics are typically evaluated by how well they inhibit bacterial growth in laboratory tests, but growth inhibition does not always mean the bacteria are actually killed. Some pathogens can survive... Read morePathology
view channel
New X-Ray Method Promises Advances in Histology
Histological tissue analysis is a cornerstone of medical diagnostics, allowing doctors to identify tumors and other pathological changes using stained tissue slices viewed under a microscope.... Read more
Single-Cell Profiling Technique Could Guide Early Cancer Detection
Cancer often develops silently over many years, as individual cells acquire mutations that give them a growth advantage long before a tumor forms. These pre-malignant cells can exist alongside normal cells... Read moreTechnology
view channelAptamer Biosensor Technology to Transform Virus Detection
Rapid and reliable virus detection is essential for controlling outbreaks, from seasonal influenza to global pandemics such as COVID-19. Conventional diagnostic methods, including cell culture, antigen... Read more
AI Models Could Predict Pre-Eclampsia and Anemia Earlier Using Routine Blood Tests
Pre-eclampsia and anemia are major contributors to maternal and child mortality worldwide, together accounting for more than half a million deaths each year and leaving millions with long-term health complications.... Read moreIndustry
view channel
WHX Labs Dubai to Gather Global Experts in Antimicrobial Resistance at Inaugural AMR Leaders’ Summit
World Health Expo (WHX) Labs in Dubai (formerly Medlab Middle East), which will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from 10-13 February, will address the growing global threat of antimicrobial resistance... Read more







