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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Serum antibodies and anthropometric data at diagnosis in pediatric Crohn's disease
Anna K Trauernicht1, Steven J Steiner
1Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology/Hepatology/Nutrition, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University School of Medicine, 702 Barnhill Drive/ROC 4210, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5225, USA.
Insights
Children with Crohn's disease (CD) and specific antibodies, like ASCA, show lower height and weight Z-scores. This suggests a higher risk of growth impairment in pediatric CD patients with these markers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Immunology
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
Background:
- Serum antibodies such as ASCA, anti-OmpC, and ANCA are linked to disease characteristics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Understanding antibody profiles can help predict disease course and location in IBD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between serum antibody status and anthropometric measurements in children newly diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
- To assess if specific antibodies correlate with growth parameters in pediatric Crohn's disease.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of pediatric Crohn's disease patients diagnosed between 2003-2008.
- Analysis of serum antibodies (ASCA IgA, ASCA IgG, anti-OmpC, pANCA) and anthropometric data (height, weight Z-scores) before treatment.
- Comparison of Z-scores among antibody-positive and negative groups; Spearman's rank correlation used for association analysis.
Main Results:
- 102 pediatric patients met inclusion criteria; mean age was 11.9 years.
- Patients with any of the four antibodies exhibited lower mean height and weight Z-scores compared to antibody-negative patients.
- Positive ASCA titers were associated with lower mean weight and height Z-scores, with a significant correlation between increasing ASCA titers and lower weight Z-scores.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric Crohn's disease patients with ASCA antibodies present have significantly lower mean height and weight Z-scores.
- The presence of ASCA antibodies in newly diagnosed pediatric Crohn's disease patients indicates a potential increased risk for growth impairment.
- These findings highlight the importance of monitoring growth in specific pediatric Crohn's disease subsets identified by antibody status.
Background:
Serum antibodies, including ASCA, anti-OmpC, and ANCA, correlate with disease location and predict disease phenotype in inflammatory bowel disease.
Aim:
The objective of this study was to determine relationships between serum antibody status and anthropometric data for children with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease.
Methods:
A retrospective review was conducted on children diagnosed with Crohn's disease at our institution from 2003 to 2008. Patients who had ASCA IgA, ASCA IgG, anti-OmpC, and pANCA antibodies, and anthropometric data measured before diagnosis and therapy were included. Z-scores for height and weight were compared among groups according to the presence of specific antibodies. Spearman's rank correlation was used to assess association between antibodies and growth data.
Results:
One hundred and two patients, mean age 11.9 years, met the inclusion criteria. Patients with the presence of any of the four antibodies had lower mean height and weight z-scores than patients without any antibodies present. When individual antibodies were studied, patients with positive ASCA titers had lower mean weight and height z-scores than patients without any antibodies present. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient demonstrated a significant association between increasing ASCA titers and lower weight z-scores, but not lower height z-scores.
Conclusions:
Pediatric patients with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease and the presence of ASCA antibodies have lower mean height and weight z-scores. This study provides evidence that specific subsets of children with Crohn's disease may be at greater risk of growth impairment.
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