There are some newer stool tests available that test for the presence of intestinal inflammation, but like the serum (blood) tests these are not specific for Crohn's disease and can be seen with other intestinal diseases and infections.here are a number of blood tests that may be helpful in making the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. A compete blood count (CBC) may show anemia (low red blood cells), or may demonstrate an elevated white blood cell (WBC) or platelet count (PLT), the latter of which are both markers of inflammation or infection.
Naturalistic observation. Naturalistic observation is, in contrast to analog observation, a research tool in which a subject is observed in its natural habitat without any manipulation by the observer. During naturalistic observation, researchers take great care to avoid interfering with the behavior they are observing by using unobtrusive methods.
A natural experiment is an empirical study in which individuals exposed to the experimental and control conditions are determined by nature or by other factors outside the control of the investigators, but the process governing the exposures arguably resembles random assignment. Thus, natural experiments are observational studies and are not controlled in the traditional sense of a randomized experiment. Natural experiments are most useful when there has been a clearly defined exposure involving a well defined subpopulation (and the absence of exposure in a similar subpopulation) such that changes in outcomes may be plausibly attributed to the exposure.