In a new study, 16 volunteers went above and beyond in the name of a better diagnosis for inflammatory bowel disease : They drank their own blood.
The “vampire” study reveals the limitations of a common method for diagnosing disorders like crohn disease. That method involves looking for a protein linked to intestinal inflammation in a person stool. But while the protein, called calprotectin, does show up in cases of intestinal inflammation, it can also be a sign of simple gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and that drinction can be difficult to make the researchers reported in the August issue of the United European Gastroenterology Journal.
The protein is still an excellent disease marker, said lead study author Dr. Stephen Vavricka, a gastroerologist and leader at the centre for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Zurich, meaning that calprotectin’s presence can indeed signal disease [Get Gusty About You Digestive Health].
However doctors should be aware that high levels of calprotectin may in special situation be a sign of bleeding and not a sign of inflammation, Vavricka told Live Science.
Drinking blood for science
To find out, Vavricka and his collagues asked 16 healthy volunteers mostly medical students at Triemli Hospital in Zurich, to drink their own blood in either 3-ounce (100 milliliters) or 10-ounce(300 ml) doses. One month later, thoose who took the 3-ounce dose returned to gulp a 10-ounce dose, and vice versa.(For reference, U.S.airlane travelers are allowed to carry 3.4 ounces of liquid in a single container onto a plane). [7 Strange ways Humans Act Like Vampires]
The researches found that calprotectin levels in the feces levels rose after blood ingestion. After the 3-once dose, 46 percent of fecal semples showed calprotectin above 50 micrograms per gram, meaning half of samples showed elevated calprotectin at some point. After the 10-ounce dose, 63 percent of sample were elevated at some point.
At lower levels other factor should be considered before making an IBD diagnosis.A patient with risk factors for upper GI bleeding, such as having high blood pleasure or taking alot of NSAID pain relievers such as aspirin, for example, is likely to be showing elevated levels because of bleedeng, Vavricka said. On the other hand, a patient with lots of abdominal pain or a family history of IBD might indeed be having an inflammatory flare if calprotectin levels rise.
Nama : Kamalia Nurul Azizah
NIM : 183211121
Kelas : SI 1D
No comments:
Post a Comment