Leptina sérica, calprotectina fecal e composição corporal em pacientes com doença de Crohn.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are serious diseases of the digestive tract. The diagnosis and follow-up of IBDs remains a major challenge in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of the adipokine leptin and fecal calprotectin in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Serum leptin and fecal calprotectin values, considered the “gold standard”, were analyzed to identify a correlation between these proteins and disease activity (inflammation). For comparison purposes, a control group containing participants (n = 8) without Crohn's disease was also evaluated following the same criteria for collecting and evaluating the samples. Fifteen patients with Crohn's disease were selected. Serum levels of leptin and calprotectin were not influenced by the gender factor in patients, nor were they influenced by controls. Leptin was not able to differentiate the disease activity (8.1 (1.30 - 13.40) ng/mL – active disease ng/mL; 8 (3.125 - 15.35) ng/mL – active disease; p = 0.614), unlike calprotectin, which was higher in patients with active disease, 514 (224 - 1231) mcg/g (remission 145.50 (59.50 - 387.50) mcg/g), p = 0.039. Leptin was positively influenced by anthropometric values (body fat and waist circumference). This work showed that leptin has low specificity and selectivity for differentiating forms of Crohn's disease. Regarding the stage of the disease, only calprotectin proved to be efficient in differentiating active disease from disease in remission.