( Gut and bowel conditions )
Digestive Health
Digestive research covers conditions that are common, often private and frequently under-treated. If your gut has a say in how your days go, this is the area to choose.
What studies here look at
Many digestive studies test whether a medicine, a diet or a probiotic eases symptoms such as pain, bloating, urgency or heartburn over a set number of weeks. Participants usually keep a short daily log so the team can see how symptoms rise and fall.
Studies in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis tend to run longer, because the aim is to calm inflammation and keep it calm. Some look at the gut’s bacteria, and ask for stool samples rather than any treatment at all.
Who studies often ask for
Every study writes its own requirements, so read this as a picture of who tends to be asked, not a checklist.
- Adults living with irritable bowel syndrome, whatever the main symptom
- People with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, in a flare or settled
- People who take medicine for reflux most days
- People with celiac disease or a suspected food intolerance
( Taking part )
What a study might ask of you
A symptom diary
A few questions on your phone each evening about how your gut behaved that day.
Samples
Blood tests at the site, and some studies send a kit for a stool sample at home.
A scope, sometimes
Inflammation studies may include a colonoscopy at the start and end, explained well in advance.
Food changes
Diet studies set out what to eat, and some deliver meals or recipes for a few weeks.
Questions worth asking
Take these to your first call with a research team, along with the questions in our guide to screening.
- Can I keep taking my usual medicine for my gut during the study?
- Will I need a scope, and if so, how is it arranged?
- What happens if my symptoms get worse partway through?
Hear about studies in this area
Join with Digestive Health as your area and your ZIP code, and we will text you when a study near you fits.
Join for this areaSee what is recruiting today
ClinicalTrials.gov is the public U.S. registry of studies. This search lists recruiting studies for irritable bowel syndrome.
Open the registry search