Table 1 Characteristics of the study population.
| Crohn's disease | Ulcerative colitis | IBS | Bacterial enteritis | Viral enteritis | Controls | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients, n | 32 | 27 | 24 | 65 | 23 | 24 |
| Sex, female/male | 21/11 | 11/16 | 21/3 | 33/32 | 10/13 | 10/14 |
| Age, median (range) | 34 (19–62) | 46 (22–71) | 46 (16–70) | 31 (1–93) | 32 (1–83) | 35 (17–43) |
| Disease activity, n | ||||||
| Inactive | 6 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
| Active | 26 | 24 | – | – | – | – |
| Localisation, n | ||||||
| Pancolitis | – | 7 | – | – | – | ‐ |
| Leftside colitis | – | 12 | – | – | – | – |
| Terminal ileum | 12 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Caecum | 2 | – | – | – | – | ‐ |
| Colon | 9 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Other | 4 | 5 | – | – | – | – |
| Parameters, mean (SEM) | ||||||
| CRP, mg/dl | 2.7 (0.63) | 1.2 (0.23) | 0.3 (0.06) | – | – | – |
| CDAI/CAI | 109 (9.5) | 6 (0.6) | – | – | – | |
| Histology inflammation score | 1.5 (0.2) | 1.6 (0.2) | 0 | – | – | – |
| WBC count, 1000/μl | 8.9 (0.8) | 7.1 (0.4) | 6.4 (0.3) | – | – | – |
| ESR, mm/h | 28.8 (4.2) | 25.6 (2.9) | 14.6 (1.9) | – | – | – |
| Medication, n | ||||||
| 5‐ASA | 11 | 14 | – | – | – | – |
| Steroids | – | – | – | – | ||
| – Systemic | 7 | 8 | ||||
| – Local | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Azathioprine | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
CDAI/CAI, Crohn's disease activity index/colitis activity index; CRP, C‐reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; 5‐ASA, 5‐aminosalicylic acid; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; WBC, white blood cell.