How is Crohn's disease diagnosed?

Blood tests can reveal an elevated white blood count in the body. In addition, sedimentation rates can be used to identify and monitor inflammation in the body. Both of these tests can show signs of infection and inflammation which are good indicators of Crohn‘s disease activity in the bowel.

Additional blood tests can be used to monitor the red blood cell count, blood proteins, and minerals that can be low due to chronic diarrhoea.

To diagnose Crohn's disease stool samples can also be tested to show bleeding or infection in the intestines.

A Barium follow through procedure can be used to study the location and severity of Crohn's disease before more invasive tests such as a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy are considered. The Barium study involves drinking a chalky barium solution that appears white on x-ray films. Pictures or live visuals of the colon and the terminal ileum can be achieved showing ulcerations and narrowing of the bowel where Crohn's disease is present.

More accurate visuals can be obtained using either a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy. Both procedures use a small camera device on a tube (colonoscope) to view in more detail ulcers and areas of inflammation inside the bowel. A colonoscopy also gives the doctor a chance to take internal tissue samples (biopsies) that can be examined under a microscope to confirm the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.