Importantly, all of these patients with an FCP < 600 μg/g and IBD presented initially with matching symptoms suggestive of IBD (i.e. bloody diarrhoea, weight loss, nocturnal abdominal pain) and/or at least one abnormal blood tests (i.e. elevated C-reactive protein and/or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anaemia, raised platelets, low albumin, raised liver/bile enzymes) (Table 3). This evidence concerns the gene ALB and inflammatory bowel disease.