title: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in Japanese children with ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the diagnostic value of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) in Japanese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 23 children with UC (17 Japanese, 6 non-Japanese), 27 children with Crohn's disease (CD) (10 Japanese, 17 non-Japanese), 10 children with other diarrhoeal diseases, and 33 normal, healthy adult volunteers were assayed for ANCA using an indirect immunofluorescence technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ANCA were detected in 6/17 (35%) UC patients and 0/10 (0%) CD patients in Japanese children, and in 3/6 (50%) UC patients and 3/17 (18%) CD patients in non-Japanese children. The difference in prevalence between Japanese and non-Japanese children with UC was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). ANCA were not found in other diarrhoeal patients and volunteers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although ANCA have been reported to be useful in the diagnosis of UC in adults, they may be of limited use in Japanese children. This might reflect the heterogeneity of UC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yabuta
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lifschitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000276:immunology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers