Be Ready for Every Doctor Visit, Test, and Procedure
Whether you’re seeing your gastroenterologist for a check-up or scheduled for a colonoscopy, it’s always important to be prepared for your visit. When it comes to Crohn’s tests and procedures, there are 2 main reasons for them:
How much of your time is your Crohn's impacting? Find out and make a personal action plan.
Watch a Video on Crohn's Testing and Disease Management
When you’re living with Crohn’s, tests are a routine part of taking care of yourself and managing your condition. Watch this video to understand the basics and help prepare for future visits to your gastroenterologist.
What Are Common Tests for Crohn’s Disease?
Blood Tests
Even though blood tests alone can’t diagnose Crohn’s, they’re an important tool in diagnosis and monitoring of the disease. These are only some of the blood tests used for Crohn’s. There are others your doctor may recommend.
Used to detect infection, anemia (caused by bleeding), indicators of inflammation, and deficiencies of vitamins or minerals.
Imaging Tests
These are tests that take pictures of different parts of your body to provide a clearer view of your condition. They show your doctor areas of disease activity and possible complications. These are only some of the imaging tests used for Crohn’s. There are others your doctor may recommend.
A standard X-ray of your abdominal area can show narrowing, widening, or development of a perforation of the intestines or an intestinal blockage—possibly from inflammation or scarring. It may also be done to rule out certain Crohn’s complications.
Biomarker Tests
Found in blood (and other body fluids or tissues) are biological molecules called biomarkers. These molecules are a sign of a normal or abnormal process—or of a condition or disease. At the same time, biomarkers can assist in seeing how well a person's body is responding to treatment.
Ways Biomarkers Can Help With Crohn’s Monitoring
- Biomarkers are a less invasive test for detecting inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract.
- Biomarkers allow serial monitoring of Crohn’s disease activity and assist in determining treatment success.
3 Reasons to Be Open and Honest With Your Doctor
1
Having a good relationship with the right specialist for your Crohn’s can help you both have a clear idea of what is going on with your body and how to manage it.
2
Your doctor relies on what you tell him or her to get the full picture of how your disease is affecting your life. Use resources like the Doctor Discussion Guide to help make appointments go a little more seamlessly.
3
When you and your doctor have a good sense of what’s going on with your Crohn’s, you’ll be able to confidently move toward a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Learn about treatment options for Crohn's disease.
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*Eligibility restricted to patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Available as a card and mobile wallet version for your phone.