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Updated: Mar 11, 2026
Investigating Intestinal Inflammation in DSS-induced Model of IBD
Published on: February 1, 2012
C-reactive protein as a diagnostic and prognostic factor in inflammatory bowel diseases
Dorota Mańkowska-Wierzbicka1, Jacek Karczewski2, Barbara Poniedziałek2
1Department of Gastroenterology, Human Nutrition and Internal Disases, Poznan University of Medical Sciences.
Insights
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) can help diagnose inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and predict Crohn's disease outcomes. Elevated hsCRP at diagnosis indicates a higher risk of surgery in Crohn's disease patients.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Immunology
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), presents diagnostic challenges.
- Biomarkers are crucial for accurate diagnosis and predicting disease course in IBD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the utility of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as a diagnostic and predictive marker in IBD patients.
- To differentiate between CD and UC using hsCRP levels.
- To evaluate the association between hsCRP and surgical risk in IBD.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of medical histories from 106 IBD patients.
- Measurement of hsCRP concentrations at diagnosis and during follow-up.
- Statistical analysis including correlation and logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Elevated hsCRP at diagnosis was common in IBD patients, with significantly higher levels in CD than UC.
- CD patients showed a greater decrease in hsCRP during follow-up.
- hsCRP at diagnosis correlated with surgical risk in CD patients (r=0.408, P=0.002) and was an independent predictor of surgery (OR: 1.02, P=0.03).
Conclusions:
- hsCRP shows potential as a diagnostic marker for active IBD.
- hsCRP at diagnosis is a valuable predictor of clinical outcomes, particularly surgical risk, in Crohn's disease patients.
Aim:
The study aimed to evaluate high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) as a diagnostic and predictive marker in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Material/Methods:
Medical history of 106 patients with IBD revealed hsCRP concentrations at diagnosis and during the follow-up period.
Results:
The study showed that the majority of investigated patients had elevated hsCRP concentrations at diagnosis, although the mean concentration was much higher in the group of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) than the group with ulcerative colitis (UC) (P<0.001). The overall decrease in mean hsCRP concentration observed during the follow-up period was larger in the group of CD patients. The analysis showed a correlation between hsCRP concentrations at diagnosis and risk of surgery in the group of CD patients (r=0.408, P=0.002), but not in the group of UC patients. In a logistic regression analysis, surgery in CD patients was associated with age (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.8-1.0, P=0.05) and hsCRP concentration (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 1.0-1.04, P=0.03) at diagnosis.
Discussion:
HsCRP might be a useful diagnostic marker in differentiating active IBD from other diseases. Particularly important however seems to be the predictive value of hsCRP at diagnosis in prognosing the clinical outcome of the disease in CD patients.
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