Figure 1.

The potential role of biomarker assays in the care of patients with suspected or established IBD: Biomarkers may be used in all phases of the care. For patients with suspected IBD, biomarkers can be used to select which patients are unlikely to have IBD and could forgo further testing. Once patients are diagnosed, biomarkers can determine which patients have CD or UC and predict the disease course. Biomarkers can be used to determine which patients are most likely to respond to therapies, determine prognosis, and identify those who require more aggressive therapies. In patients with recurrent symptoms, biomarkers can differentiate patients with active inflammation from those likely to have symptoms from other causes. Adapted from James D. Lewis’s review [23]; Gastroenterology, Volume 140 Issue 6, Pages 1817–1826.e2; https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2010.11.058.