How to Get a Blood Test for Colitis

Colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting the lining of the colon. It often causes bloody diarrhea and blood in the stool with associated abdominal pain and weight loss. These symptoms make patients vulnerable to anemia and vitamin deficiencies, which can be checked by getting both a traditional blood test and a fecal occult test. More sophisticated blood tests can also determine whether antibodies to nuclear protein (an element of normal cells) are present. These antibodies are a definitive diagnostic marker of ulcerative colitis.

Things You'll Need

• Physician
• Laboratory appointment
• Insurance contact information
• Stool sample kit

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Instructions

Get a Blood Test For Colitis

• 1

  Get an order for a blood draw from your doctor and bring it to a lab. The technicians will examine your blood for signs of iron and vitamin deficiencies as well as any signs of active inflammation.

• 2

  Discuss with your doctor whether your symptoms warrant specialized blood tests looking for serological markers of colitis. For treatment purposes it may be necessary to differentially diagnose colitis, as its symptoms are extremely similar to those of other IBDs. The specialized tests that look for the pANCA, ASCA, OmpC and CBir1 Flagelin markers are only performed by Prometheus Laboratories, Inc. (see Resources below).

• 3

  Ask the insurance liaison at your doctor's office or medical center to help you contact your insurance company with regard to coverage for the specialized blood tests. Investigate the procedure for having a claim reconsidered if the test isn't automatically covered under your policy.

• 4

  Contact Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., about having the IBD Serology workup performed on your blood. You will need to speak with your doctor's office to coordinate the details of having your blood drawn and sent to Prometheus Labs.

Get a Fecal Occult Blood Test For Colitis

• 5

  Talk to your doctor about how many days he would like you to collect stool samples and make any arrangements to obtain a sample kit and return it.

• 6

  Follow a recommended diet for the 72 hours prior to the exam. You should avoid foods such as beef, lamb and other red meats, as well as raw fruits and vegetables since they can cause a false positive result. You will also need to reduce your Vitamin C consumption to no more than 250mg per day.

• 7

  Tell your doctor if you have active bleeding from hemorrhoids or anal fissures, have blood in your urine or are having your menstrual period. These, too, can give a false positive result and may mean you will need to reschedule the exam.

• 8

  Write any necessary identifying information on the stool sample kit and the collection slide.

• 9

  Flush the toilet at least twice before using it, making sure there are no toilet bowl cleansers in use. Gather a sample of stool using one of the provided wooden sticks and apply it carefully to the slide.

• 10

  Store the slide in a dark, cool place and cover it tightly.

• 11

  Seal all the slides and return the completed kit to your doctor.