IBD Washington DC Diagnosis

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of diseases that affect the lining of your digestive system.  Symptoms of different IBDs DC can look similar, so diagnosing a specific IBD Washington DC often includes tests such as a colonoscopy, a fecal occult blood test, or an upper endoscopy.

Colonoscopy can diagnose IBD Washington DC

A colonoscopy is a diagnostic test that allows your doctor to check the inside of your large intestine for signs of an inflammatory bowel disease Washington DC.  During the procedure, your doctor inserts a long flexible tube with a light and a camera on it into your colon. The camera sends the picture to a screen, so your doctor can see inside your large intestine.  Signs of an inflammatory bowel disease DC will usually appear on the walls of the intestine, so you will be put on a clear liquid diet before the procedure so the walls will be clean and easily visible. IBD DC signs that your doctor will be looking for include bleeding, sores, and inflammation.

Fecal occult blood test

Inflammatory bowel diseases Washington DC often cause blood in the stool.  Sometimes, this can be seen with the naked eye, but sometimes a test called a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is necessary.  A FOBT can help diagnose an IBD DC by using chemicals to check for small amounts of blood in the stool. A FOBT requires more than one sample (ideally three consecutive bowel movements), so you will be given a test kit to use at home.  The samples you collect will then be sent to a lab for examination. A positive result on a FOBT does not necessarily mean that you have an inflammatory bowel disease DC, and is usually just an indication that further testing (such as a colonoscopy) is needed.

Upper endoscopy for inflammatory bowel disease DC

Some inflammatory bowel diseases DC only affect the lower GI tract, but some can affect the upper part as well.  A procedure called an upper endoscopy can check for signs of an inflammatory bowel disease in your esophagus and stomach.  During this procedure, an endoscope with a light and a camera is inserted through your mouth to check the inside of the upper part of your GI tract.  You can learn more about diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease DC by visiting www.medstarwashington.org.