INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION DIAGNOSTICS

Abdominal cramps, pain, and diarrhea are symptoms common to intestinal inflammation.

  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
    Chronic intestinal inflammation causes a patient’s abdomen to ache all the time. One cause of inflammation is inflammatory bowel disease. IBD gets worse over time, and its severe symptoms affect the quality of life of people with the disease. The two most common inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
    IBD is often confused with irritable bowel syndrome, which is a disorder that affects the colon’s muscle contractions. Intestinal inflammation is not a symptom of IBS, although abdominal pain may feel similar to the patient.
  • Clostridium difficile infection (CDI)
    C. difficile infection can also cause intestinal inflammation. C. difficile is an infection that most commonly occurs in hospitals and other healthcare settings, like nursing homes. It spreads rapidly, and symptoms include watery diarrhea, fever, appetite loss, and abdominal pain and inflammation.
  • Lactoferrin
    Lactoferrin is present in the stools of people with intestinal inflammation due to IBD and C. difficile infection.
Intestinal Inflammation

Lactoferrin testing

Because many symptoms of IBS and IBD are similar, it is difficult to tell the two diseases apart. Lactoferrin testing can:

  • A first step to help physicians rule out IBS
  • Quickly identify likely IBD patients for further testing
  • Non-invasively assess inflammation levels for patients already diagnosed with IBD

TECHLAB manufactures several diagnostics that detect lactoferrin and other markers of inflammation in the bowels

Product NameCatalog #Suggested CPT Code*Tests/KitAnalyte(s) DetectedFormatTime to ResultFecal Sample Type
LEUKO EZ VUE ®T303558363025Lactoferrin—marker for fecal leukocytes & indicator for intestinal inflammation that can be caused by enteric infectionsLateral Flow10 minFresh fecal sample (unpreserved)
LACTOFERRIN SCAN ®T5009/303518363196Lactoferrin—marker for fecal leukocytes & indicator for intestinal inflammation; aids in the diagnosis of IBD/IBS populationsMicroplate ELISA~ 75 minFresh fecal sample (unpreserved)
LACTOFERRIN CHEK ®T5008/303528363096Lactoferrin—marker for fecal leukocytes & indicator for intestinal inflammation; aids in the diagnosis of IBD/IBS populationsMicroplate ELISA~ 75 minFresh fecal sample (unpreserved)
LACTOFERRIN EZ VUE ®30353/T50188363025Lactoferrin—marker for fecal leukocytes & indicator for intestinal inflammation; aids in the diagnosis of IBD/IBS populationsLateral Flow10 minFresh fecal sample (unpreserved)
ASCA-CHEK T50168352096anti-S. cerevisiae antibodiesMicroplate ELISA~ 75 minFresh fecal sample (unpreserved) / Serum