Clinical value of serum eosinophilic cationic protein assessment in children with inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction: Eosinophils contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the intestine. Eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) is one of the most important eosinophilic specific mediators released during activation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical value of serum ECP determination in children with active and inactive IBD and its correlation with disease activity. Material and methods: There were 125 children with IBD (63 with Crohn’s disease - CD, 44 with ulcerative colitis - UC, 18 indeterminate colitis - IC) enrolled in the study. Among them 83 children were in the active phase of the disease, while the remaining 42 were in remission. The control group consisted of 56 healthy children. The ECP was assessed three times in children with active IBD, at baseline and after 2 and 6 weeks of treatment and once in children with inactive IBD and controls using fluoroenzymeimmunoassays. Results: We found elevated ECP at baseline in the total active IBD group when compared to the inactive IBD and control groups, decreasing during treatment. Serum ECP was also elevated in the active UC and CD groups when compared to the inactive UC and CD groups, and correlated with clinical UC and CD activity (R = 0.57 and R = 0.52, p < 0.05, respectively) and duration of the clinical manifestation in UC (R = 0.62, p < 0.05) but not with the disease location in the gastrointestinal tract, or endoscopic and histopathological activity. Conclusions: Evaluation of serum ECP in children with IBD may be useful in disease activity assessment at onset and during the treatment

Thedyadiccopingmodelofbipolardisorderpatients

Celiac disease (CD) may cause numerous nutrient deficiencies that a proper gluten-free diet (GFD) should compensate for. The study group consists of 40 children, aged 8.43 years (SD 3.5), on average, in whom CD was diagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms, immunological and histopathological results. The patients’ height, weight, diet and biochemical tests were assessed three times: before diagnosis, after six months, and following one year of GFD. After one year, the patients’ weight and height increased but nutritional status (body mass index, BMI percentile) did not change significantly. The children’s diet before diagnosis was similar to that of the general Polish population: insufficient implementation of the dietary norm for energy, fiber, calcium, iodine, iron as well as folic acid, vitamins D, K, and E was observed. Over the year, the GFD of the children with CD did not change significantly for most of the above nutrients, or the changes were not significant for the overall assessment of the diet. Celiac patients following GFD may have a higher risk of iron, calcium and folate deficiencies. These results confirm the need for personalized nutritional education aimed at excluding gluten from the diet, as well as balancing the diet properly, in patients with CD