New Test in the Works for Kids with IBD

The test to diagnose IBD are necessary and important, but they are also invasive and carry some risks. For children, especially teens, these tests can also be extremely embarrassing. We often think of embarrassment as transitory and having no lasting effects, but for a child or a teen, it can have long-term implications. This new test being developed in Australia measures the level of a protein in the stool. The protein is found in higher amounts in the stool of people who have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. This could help some get a diagnosis sooner, and avoid some of the usual tests.

More on diagnosing IBD:

• How IBD is Diagnosed
• Colonoscopy
• Barium Enema