Table 2.
Baseline demographic, clinical and CD-specific characteristics compared between above- and below-average albumin-adjusted plasma free thiol concentrations (average: 14.7 ± 2.4 μmol/g).
| Variables | Total CD cohort | Below-average thiols | Above-average thiols | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 51 | n = 27 | n = 24 | ||
| Plasma free thiols per gram of albumin (μmol/g) | 14.7 ± 2.4 | 12.9 ± 1.6 | 16.8 ± 1.3 | < 0.001 |
| Age (years) | 42.2 ± 12.2 | 42.2 ± 11.7 | 42.3 ± 13.0 | 0.98 |
| Female, n (%) | 38 (74.5) | 20 (74.1) | 18 (75.0) | 0.94 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.5 ± 5.3 | 27.1 ± 5.2 | 23.6 ± 4.8 | 0.02 |
| Current smoking, n (%) | 6 (11.8) | 5 (18.5) | 1 (4.2) | 0.11 |
| Prior surgery, n (%) | 19 (37.3) | 9 (33.3) | 10 (41.7) | 0.54 |
| HBI score∗ | 3 [1; 5] | 3 [1; 5] | 3 [2; 5] | 0.52 |
| Disease location, n (%) | 0.28 | |||
| L1 (ileal) | 17 (33.3) | 9 (33.3) | 8 (33.3) | |
| L2 (colonic) | 11 (21.6) | 8 (29.6) | 3 (12.5) | |
| L3 (ileocolonic) | 23 (45.1) | 10 (37.0) | 13 (54.2) | |
| Medication, n (%) | 0.57 | |||
| None | 12 (23.5) | 6 (22.2) | 6 (25.0) | |
| Thiopurines | 8 (15.7) | 6 (22.2) | 7 (29.2) | |
| Mesalamine | 13 (25.5) | 6 (22.2) | 2 (8.3) | |
| TNF-antagonists | 12 (23.5) | 7 (25.9) | 5 (20.8) | |
| Combination | 6 (11.8) | 2 (7.4) | 4 (16.7) | |
| Laboratory measurements | ||||
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 13.5 ± 1.3 | 13.5 ± 1.1 | 13.3 ± 1.5 | 0.71 |
| CRP (mg/L)∗ | 1.8 [0.6; 4.2] | 3.6 [0.6; 7.0] | 1.4 [0.4; 2.6] | 0.04 |
| ESR (mm/h)∗ | 14 [7; 27] | 17 [7; 27] | 13 [6; 20] | 0.36 |
| WBC (× 109/L)∗ | 6.6 [5.4; 7.9] | 6.6 [5.2; 7.9] | 6.9 [5.5; 7.9] | 0.56 |
| Platelets (× 109/L)∗ | 290 [246; 321] | 298 [252; 361] | 275 [242; 311] | 0.07 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 43.7 ± 2.7 | 43.7 ± 3.1 | 43.6 ± 2.2 | 0.92 |
| AST (U/L) | 22 ± 8 | 21 ± 5 | 24 ± 9 | 0.08 |
| ALT (U/L)∗ | 16 [12; 23] | 16 [14; 22] | 16 [10; 27] | 0.56 |
| eGFR (mL/min × 1.73 m2) | 100 ± 14 | 99 ± 15 | 101 ± 13 | 0.67 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 69.7 ± 10.5 | 70.4 ± 8.8 | 68.8 ± 12.2 | 0.60 |
| Fecal calprotectin (μg/g)∗ | 140 [42; 358] | 74 [40; 325] | 160 [74; 359] | 0.08 |
Data are presented as mean ± SD or proportions (n, %). ∗Skewed data are presented as median [interquartile range]. P-values were two-tailed and calculated using independent sample t-tests or Mann-Whitney U-tests, as appropriate. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Significances are indicated in bold. CD, Crohn’s disease; BMI, body mass index; HBI, Harvey-Bradshaw Index; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; WBC, white blood cell count; AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine transaminase; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate.