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Laboratory values in Japanese children with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease
Yugo Takaki1, Tatsuki Mizuochi1, Keisuke Eda1
1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.
Insights
Laboratory data for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Japan largely mirrors Western findings. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is a key indicator of disease activity in both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
- Comparative Clinical Studies
Background:
- Limited laboratory data exists for Asian children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Previous IBD laboratory findings primarily originate from European and North American populations.
- This study addresses the gap by examining Japanese pediatric IBD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize laboratory data in newly diagnosed Japanese children with IBD.
- To compare these findings with existing Western reports.
- To identify potential differences and similarities in disease presentation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pediatric patients (<16 years) diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD).
- Data collected from Kurume University Hospital between January 2008 and December 2015.
- Evaluation of hemoglobin, platelet count, albumin, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Main Results:
- Laboratory findings in Japanese pediatric IBD patients were largely similar to Western cohorts, with notable exceptions.
- C-reactive protein (CRP) was more frequently normal in Japanese UC patients compared to Western counterparts.
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) showed significant differences between UC and CD, particularly in late-onset cases, and correlated with disease activity.
Conclusions:
- The diagnostic laboratory profiles of Japanese children with IBD align with Western data.
- Early-onset IBD in Japan may present with similar parameters in UC and CD.
- ESR is a valuable marker for assessing disease activity in pediatric UC and CD at diagnosis.
Background:
Laboratory data in children with newly diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been reported from Europe and North America, but not Asia. The aim of this study was to clarify laboratory data in Japanese children with newly diagnosed IBD, and to compare them with those in Western reports.
Methods:
We retrospectively reviewed patients <16 years old, newly diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) at Kurume University Hospital between January 2008 and December 2015.
Results:
UC and CD patients numbered 31 and 15, respectively. The percentages of patients with normal values for hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (Plt), albumin (Alb), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in the UC and CD groups were 45% and 47%; 68% and 53%; 84% and 40%; 81% and 7%; and 35% and 0%, respectively. The frequency of normal results for these five tests were similar to Western findings except for the greater frequency of normal CRP in UC. Alb and ESR differed significantly between UC and CD in both mild and moderate-severe cases. Plt, Alb, CRP, and ESR differed significantly between diseases in late-onset IBD, whereas early onset IBD showed no differences. In UC, ESR correlated positively, while Hb and Alb correlated negatively, with disease activity. In CD, CRP and ESR correlated positively with activity.
Conclusions:
The proportion of Japanese children with IBD having normal values at diagnosis was mostly similar to that in Western reports. In early onset cases, UC parameters may be similar to CD. Of the five tests, ESR was particularly indicative of disease activity at diagnosis in both pediatric UC and CD.
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