Blood Test Differentiates Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Jul 2010
A new blood test that provides a differential diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) is available to clinicians.

Dubbed eXaUC/CD, the test is an addition to the offerings of a molecular diagnostics laboratory that already markets blood tests to diagnose inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), eXaIBD, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eXaIBS.

The new test has shown a sensitivity of 92% for CD and 87% for UC, which lowers the risk of false negatives, and it has shown a specificity of 87% for CD and 92% for UC, which reduces the risk of false positives.

The company, Exagen Diagnostics (Albuquerque, NM, USA) stated that eXaUC/CD has "90% accuracy” with patients who "have an established diagnosis of IBD using a combination of laboratory tests, such as eXaIBD, clinical workup, and/or scoping procedures.”

Exagen Diagnostics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics laboratory that discovers, develops, and markets proprietary genomic tests, has been awarded accreditation by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

The CAP awards accreditation is based on the results of onsite inspections. During the process, inspectors examine the laboratory's records and quality control procedures for the preceding two years. This stringent inspection program is specifically designed to ensure a high standard of care for all laboratory patients.

Related Links:

Exagen Diagnostics
College of American Pathologists






Latest Molecular Diagnostics News