IBSchek for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Pamela O. Obi

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May 1, 2020 Issue

Diagnostic Tests

What Physicians Need to Know

IBSchek for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

PAMELA O. OBI, MD, Floyd Family Medicine Residency, Rome, Georgia

Am Fam Physician. 2020 May 1;101(9):564-565.

IBSchek is a blood test marketed to assist in the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D) or with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M) in adults.

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Test	Indication	Population	Cost*
IBSchek	Diagnosis of IBS-D or IBS-M	Adults suspected of having IBS-D or IBS-M	$199

IBS-D = irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea; IBS-M = irritable bowel syndrome with mixed bowel habits.

*—Payment rate according to Commonwealth Diagnostics International.

Test	Indication	Population	Cost*
IBSchek	Diagnosis of IBS-D or IBS-M	Adults suspected of having IBS-D or IBS-M	$199

IBS-D = irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea; IBS-M = irritable bowel syndrome with mixed bowel habits.

*—Payment rate according to Commonwealth Diagnostics International.

Accuracy

The diagnosis of IBS-D or IBS-M is made using Rome IV criteria, which include the presence of certain symptoms, the absence of alarm symptoms, and negative screening blood test results (complete blood count, C-reactive protein, fecal calprotectin, and celiac serologies).1,2 The type of IBS is categorized based on the predominant type of stool using the Bristol stool scale: IBS-D, IBS with predominant constipation, IBS-M, and IBS unclassified.

IBSchek detects antibodies against cy tolethal distending toxin B (anti-CdtB) and the cell adhesion protein vinculin (antivinculin). These serum biomarkers are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of postinfectious IBS.3 Studies have demonstrated a six- to sevenfold increase in the odds of developing IBS after an episode of gastroenteritis.4,5

The initial study of these biomarkers included 2,681 adults between 18 and 65 years of age. Of these participants, 2,375 had IBS-D using Rome III criteria, 121 had celiac disease, 142 had inflammatory bowel disease, and 43 were healthy. Anti-CdtB optical densities were highest in patients with IBS-D (2.53 ± 0.69). Patients with IBS-D were differentiated from those with inflammatory bowel disease using an anti-CdtB optical density of 2.80 or greater (specificity = 91.6%; sens

Address correspondence to Pamela O. Obi, MD, at PObi@Floyd.org. Reprints are not available from the author.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial affiliations.

References

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1. Rome Foundation. Rome IV Interactive Clinical Decision Toolkit. 2019. Accessed March 20, 2019. https://romeonline.org/product/rome-iv-interactive-clinical-decision-toolkit-logicnets/...

2. Ford AC, Lacy BE, Talley NJ. Irritable bowel syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(26):2566–2578.

3. Pimentel M, Morales W, Rezaie A, et al. Development and validation of a biomarker for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome in human subjects. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0126438.

4. Thabane M, Kottachchi DT, Marshall JK. Systematic review and meta-analysis: the incidence and prognosis of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007;26(4):535–544.

5. Schoenfeld PS. Advances in IBS 2016: a review of current and emerging data. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2016;12(8 suppl 3):1–11.

6. Rezaie A, Park SC, Morales W, et al. Assessment of anti-vinculin and anti-cytolethal distending toxin B antibodies in subtypes of irritable bowel syndrome. Dig Dis Sci. 2017;62(6):1480–1485.

7. Commonwealth Diagnostics International. IBSchek. Accessed March 20, 2019. https://www.commdx.com/irritable-bowel-syndrome.html

8. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Clinical laboratory fee schedule. Accessed April 3, 2020. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/ClinicalLabFeeSched/Clinical-Laboratory-Fee-Schedule-Files

This series is coordinated by Kenny Lin, MD, MPH, deputy editor.

A collection of Diagnostic Tests published in AFP is available at https://www.aafp.org/afp/diagnostic.

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