Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Methodology for Sputum Induction and Laboratory Processing
Published on: December 17, 2017
The relationship between the severity of inflammatory bowel diseases and expirium air carbon monoxide levels
Bektas Murat Yalcin1, Muge Ustaoglu2, Yildiz Kirac3
1Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, 55100, Turkey. myalcin@omu.edu.tr.
Introduction:
We investigated the relationship between expirium air carbon monoxide (E-CO) levels and disease severity in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).
Methods:
After their first follow-ups, the E-CO levels of 162 patients with UC and 100 with CD were measured for four consecutive weeks. Blood samples were collected from all the patients, and their clinical severity was determined 1 month after their initial presentation. The clinical severity of CD was determined using the Harvey Bradshaw index (HBI), while the patients with UC completed the SEO clinical activity index (SEOI). The relationships between the disease severity and the means of these four E-CO readings were then compared.
Results:
The mean age of the participants was 42.28 ± 14.9 years, and 158 (60.3%) were men. In addition, 27.2% of the UC group and 44% of the CD group were smokers. The mean SEOI score was 145.7 ± 42.0 (min = 90, max = 227), and the mean HBI score was 5.75 ± 3.3 (min = 1, max = 15). Increased CO ppm (OR = -9.047 to 7.654 95% CI) and the number of cigarettes smoked per day (OR = -0.161 to 1.157 95% CI) emerged as independent risk factors for lower SEO scores in the linear regression models (p < 0.001), while the number of cigarettes smoked per day (OR = 0.271 to 1.182% 95 CI) was a risk factor for higher HBI scores (p = 0.022).
Conclusion:
UC severity decreased with higher E-CO levels and the mean number of cigarettes smoked, while CD severity increased in line with the mean number of cigarettes smoked.
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by...
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...
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...
Asthma-III: Symptoms and Complications
Classification of Asthma
COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...

