Patients with suspected bowel disease could self-refer for scans, saving time on long waiting lists

Patients with suspected bowel disease could soon refer themselves for a scan, saving them months of waiting with painful symptoms.

Currently, patients with suspected Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, together known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), must consult a GP before they can be referred to hospital for a diagnosis.

A GP will then ask them to take a faecal calprotectin test, which looks for proteins in the intestines that are linked to inflammation.

However, inflammation can also be a sign of illnesses such as food poisoning, so patients should consult a specialist who will decide whether they need a colonoscopy – a procedure to check the lining of the intestines.

Experts say this lengthy process can take months, which is concerning because research shows that the longer patients with IBD wait, the more likely they are to develop complications that require surgery.

But a study has found that offering two faecal tests, about two weeks apart, can accurately detect the signs of IBD, meaning patients can be referred for a colonoscopy straight away.

Study author Dr Peter Rimmer, a gastroenterologist at the University of Birmingham, says that in future patients could request faecal tests directly from the NHS without having to consult a GP.

About 800,000 people in Britain have IBD. About 500,000 people live with Crohn’s disease, a lifelong condition in which part of the digestive system becomes inflamed.

Just under 300,000 people have ulcerative colitis, which affects the colon and rectum.

Neither condition can be cured, but the symptoms can be treated with medications. These are usually most effective if given early.

The study involved 767 patients with IBD symptoms who were offered repeat fecal calprotectin tests in the weeks before a colonoscopy.

They completed a questionnaire about their symptoms to rule out other conditions. Two positive results were shown to strongly predict an IBD diagnosis.

Dr. Rimmer said: ‘We think our findings will open up the exciting possibility of patients being able to request a faecal test themselves rather than through a GP.

“This means they can get a diagnosis within a few weeks.”