 New Biomarker to Reduce the Need for Colonoscopies
15 Feb 2010 Alpha Laboratories Ltd announces a new biomarker called Calprotectin to help make unnecessary endoscopies a thing of the past and help diagnose patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Elevated Calprotectin, a biomarker present in stool samples, indicates to a doctor that the patient has a potentially serious, inflammatory bowel condition that requires further investigation and treatment. However, when patients suffering from diarrhoea, stomach cramps etc visit the doctor and have normal Calprotectin levels, no inflammation is present and a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be made. IBS does not require endoscopy and is usually treated by a change in lifestyle or diet. Approximately 50% of patients have IBS rather than inflammatory conditions, which gives an indication of the scale of unnecessary endoscopies current...
|
|
