Crohn’s disease can be detected in blood eight years before symptoms show, finds study

‘These conditions typically affect young people at a time when they are trying to finish their education and have relationships and hold jobs down, and can be devastating,’ said Dr James Lee, a gastroenterologist. Photograph: Aleksandr Davydov/Alamy

Signs of the debilitating bowel condition Crohn’s disease can be detected in routine blood tests up to eight years before the onset of symptoms, and up to three years before a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. The discovery suggests that early stages of inflammatory bowel diseases may begin far earlier than previously assumed, and may eventually enable doctors to intervene before severe damage occurs.

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that affect more than 500,000 people in the UK alone. They are caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking the gut, resulting in painful sores, inflammation and symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhoea.