Simple blood test may predict Crohn’s Disease years before symptoms appear

A simple blood test may be able to predict the onset of Crohn’s disease years before symptoms develop, according to new research that could pave the way for earlier diagnosis and potentially preventive treatment.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that causes persistent symptoms, pain and fatigue, significantly affecting quality of life. Its incidence among children has doubled since 1995 and continues to rise.

The blood test measures an individual’s immune response to flagellin, a protein found in gut bacteria. Researchers found that this immune response is elevated long before Crohn’s disease develops. The study was led by Dr. Ken Croitoru, a clinician-scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Canada’s Sinai Health system.

The findings, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, highlight the interaction between gut bacteria and the immune system as a key step in the development of the disease. The presence of flagellin antibodies well before the onset of symptoms suggests that this immune reaction may help trigger Crohn’s disease rather than result from it.

The research is part of the Genetic, Environmental and Microbial (GEM) Project, a global study involving more than 5,000 healthy first-degree relatives of Crohn’s patients. Since 2008, the project has collected genetic, biological and environmental data to better understand how the disease develops.