Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2020 | Ulcerative Colitis | Research article
Serum amyloid A is a better predictive biomarker of mucosal healing than C-reactive protein in ulcerative colitis in clinical remission
Published in: BMC Gastroenterology | Issue 1/2020
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Background
Many studies have revealed that mucosal healing improves the long-term prognosis of ulcerative colitis. Frequent colonoscopy is difficult because of its invasiveness and cost. Therefore, in diagnosing and treating ulcerative colitis, noninvasive, low-cost methods for predicting mucosal healing using useful biomarkers are required in the clinical setting.
This study aimed to evaluate whether serum amyloid A is a better serum biomarker than C-reactive protein in predicting mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis patients in clinical remission.
Methods
Ulcerative colitis patients whose C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A were measured within 1 month before and after colonoscopy were included in this retrospective study, and the relationship between the C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A values and the mucosal condition was analyzed. Mucosal condition was assessed using the Mayo Endoscopic Score, with score 0 or 1 indicating mucosal healing.
Results
A total of 199 colonoscopic examinations were conducted in 108 ulcerative colitis patients who underwent C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A blood tests. In clinical remission patients, serum amyloid A showed a strong correlation with mucosal inflammation compared to C-reactive protein and had excellent sensitivity and specificity rates with significant statistical significance.
Conclusions
Serum amyloid A is a more useful marker compared to C-reactive protein in predicting mucosal inflammation in ulcerative colitis patients in clinical remission.