Is tube feeding with elemental diets a primary therapy of Crohn's disease?

Tube feeding (TF) with elemental diets was used as primary therapy in 25 patients with an acute phase of Crohn's disease (CD). Feed was infused continuously via a nasoduodenal tube in a dosage of 2600-3200 kcal/day. The Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI), the serum levels of a1-antitrypsin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin were used as parameters for disease activity; the body weight and the serum levels of albumin, prealbumin and transferrin were parameters for the nutritional status. Disease activity could be reduced in the total group by TF shown by a reduction of CDAI from 269 +/- 72 to 174 +/- 103, a1-antitrypsin from 449 +/- 160 to 378 +/- 147 mg/dl, CRP from 6.12 +/- 5.6 to 3.23 +/- 5.4 mg/dl and haptoglobin from 414 +/- 167 to 344 +/- 152 mg/dl. Nutritional status was improved (body weight 83 +/- 12% to 87 +/- 10% ideal body weight, prealbumin 20.2 +/- 7.7 to 29.7 +/- 9.5 mg/dl, and transferrin 229 +/- 107 to 310 +/- 103 mg/dl). Albumin did not change significantly. In 15 patients the CDAI was reduced to levels below 150. These patients were characterized as responders. In ten patients a normalization of CDAI could not be achieved and therapy had to be changed. With a stepwise linear discriminant analysis it could be demonstrated that patients with colonic disease and fever do not react to TF, with a probability of 90%. We conclude that TF can be used as primary therapy for the acute phase of CD in patients with small bowel disease. In patients with colonic disease and fever it is not as effective.