Table 1. Characteristics of the study subjects.
| Variables | HC (n = 9) | CD (n = 18) | UC (n = 24) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 55.0 (37.0–57.0) | 25.0 (22.0–27.0) | 36.0 (26.0–46.0) | |
| Sex | Male | 4 (44.4) | 11 (61.1) | 10 (41.7) |
| Female | 5 (55.6) | 7 (38.9) | 14 (58.3) | |
| Biopsy site | Ileum | 0 (0) | 5 (27.8) | 0 (0) |
| Ileocecal valve | 0 (0) | 7 (38.9) | 3 (12.5) | |
| Colon | 9 (100) | 6 (33.3) | 21 (87.5) | |
| Number of subjects positive for E. coli | 6 (66.7) | 16 (88.9) | 19 (79.2) | |
| CD location* | Ileal | - | 1 (5.6) | - |
| Colonic | - | 2 (11.1) | - | |
| Ileocolonic | - | 15 (83.3) | - | |
| Isolated upper disease | - | 0 (0) | - | |
| CD behavior | Non-stricturing and non-penetrating | - | 11 (61.1) | - |
| Stricturing | - | 3 (16.7) | - | |
| Penetrating | - | 4 (22.2) | - | |
| UC extent* | Proctitis | - | - | 5 (20.8) |
| Left-sided colitis | - | - | 6 (25.0) | |
| Pancolitis | - | - | 13 (54.2) | |
| Disease activity† | Active | - | 14 (77.8) | 15 (62.5) |
| Inactive | - | 4 (22.2) | 9 (37.5) | |
| Treatment exposure | Aminosalicylates | - | 12 (66.7) | 15 (62.5) |
| Steroids | - | 10 (55.6) | 3 (12.5) | |
| Thiopurine | - | 13 (72.2) | 7 (29.2) | |
| Anti-TNF agent | - | 6 (33.3) | 0 (0) | |
| Methotrexate | - | 1 (5.6) | 0 (0) | |
HC, healthy control; CD, Crohn’s disease; UC, ulcerative colitis. Values are given as median (interquartile range) or numbers (%).
*Present location/extent when active disease, previous location/extent when inactive disease.
†Simple endoscopic score for Crohn’s disease (SES-CD) and ulcerative colitis endoscopic index of severity (UCEIS) were used to assess the endoscopic activity. SES-CD <3 and UCEIS ≤1 were considered endoscopically inactive diseases.