Do the new biomarkers in the study help diagnose Crohn's Disease?

The question refers to a study that identified three biomarkers (ARHGEF3, S100A8, and RHOU) for diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease. However, this study focused on ulcerative colitis, not Crohn's disease. While the biomarkers showed high accuracy for ulcerative colitis, their usefulness for diagnosing Crohn's disease remains unclear. Other biomarkers, such as fecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein, are already used in clinical practice to help diagnose and monitor Crohn's disease ¹⁰.

What the research says

A cohort study using machine learning identified three biomarkers (ARHGEF3, S100A8, and RHOU) that showed high diagnostic accuracy for ulcerative colitis, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.991 in the training set and 0.938–0.968 in external validation ⁶. The study also assessed whether these biomarkers could distinguish ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease, but it did not evaluate their ability to diagnose Crohn's disease itself ⁶. For Crohn's disease, established biomarkers include fecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein, which are recommended as short-term treatment targets in the STRIDE-II guidelines ¹⁰. Additionally, a meta-analysis found reduced oral microbial diversity in Crohn's disease, suggesting that oral microbiome analysis might serve as a future biomarker ⁴. However, the three biomarkers from the study are not yet validated for diagnosing Crohn's disease.

What to ask your doctor

• Are the biomarkers ARHGEF3, S100A8, and RHOU available for testing, and do they apply to Crohn's disease?
• What are the standard biomarkers (like fecal calprotectin or C-reactive protein) used to diagnose or monitor my Crohn's disease?
• Could oral microbiome testing be helpful in my case, based on recent research?
• How do you interpret my biomarker results in the context of my symptoms and other tests?