Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026

Performing Colonoscopic-Guided Pinch Biopsies in Mice and Evaluating Subsequent Tissue Changes
Published on: February 5, 2021
Depression and mucosal proinflammatory cytokines are associated in patients with ulcerative colitis and pouchitis - A
Winfried Häuser1, Carsten Schmidt, Andreas Stallmach
1Department Internal Medicine I, Klinikum Saarbrücken, Saarbrücken, Germany. whaeuser@klinikum-saarbruecken.de
Background And Aims:
Recent studies demonstrated that depression was associated with mucosal inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This association had not been studied in patients with UC with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) after restorative proctocolectomy. We hypothesized that depression and mucosal proinflammatory cytokines in UC-patients with pouchitis were associated.
Methods:
We assessed 18 IPAA-UC-patients with pouchitis and 19 IPAA-UC-patients without pouchitis. Mucosal biopsies were taken from the areas with maximal inflammation in the pouch or from the posterior wall of the pouch if the pouch had a normal endoscopic appearance. Disease activity was assessed by the Pouch Disease Activity Index. The expression of mucosal proinflammatory gene transcripts (interleukin-8 [IL-8] and interleukin-1ß [IL-1b]) was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Depression was assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Pearson correlations between depression and cytokine transcripts were calculated.
Results:
The correlation of HADS depression scores of patients with pouchitis with IL-8 was r=0.51 (p=0.03) and with IL-1ß was r=0.47 (p=0.04). The correlation between the HADS depression scores of patients without pouchitis with IL-8 was r=-0.19; (p=0.21) and with IL-1ß was r=-0.12 (p=0.30).
Conclusion:
Depression is associated with mucosal proinflammatory cytokines in patients with pouchitis after restorative proctocolectomy in patients with UC.
Related Concept Videos
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, encompasses a group of disorders characterized by chronic inflammation or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract.
Risk Factors
The exact cause of IBD remains unclear, although it is believed to be due to a mix of genetic, environmental, microbial, and immune factors. Genetic factors are significant in determining susceptibility to IBD, with family history being a critical risk factor. Individuals with a first-degree relative who has IBD are at...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease IV: Clinical Manifestations
Pathophysiology of Peptic Ulcer Disease: Mucosal Defense Factors
