title: Increased rectal nitric oxide in children with active inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Luminal nitric oxide increases in ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. The authors have previously used a minimally invasive method to demonstrate increased luminal nitric oxide in ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease of the colon. The aim of the current study was to determine whether this method could be applied to identify inflammatory activity in ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six children (18 of whom had active disease) with inflammatory bowel disease localized to the colon were studied. The control group comprised 12 healthy children. To measure nitric oxide, a silicon catheter with an inflatable balloon was inserted into the rectum and inflated with 10 mL of nitric oxide-free air. After a 10-minute incubation time, the air was withdrawn and nitric oxide concentrations were immediately analyzed using a chemiluminescence technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with active ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease of the colon had greatly increased luminal nitric oxide concentrations in the rectum (8,840 +/- 5,120 and 15,170 +/- 4,757 parts per billion [ppb], respectively) compared with controls (77 +/- 17 ppb) (P < 0.001). Children with nonactive ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease displayed low concentrations of rectal nitric oxide (356 +/- 110 and 188 +/- 55 ppb, respectively), which was not different from that of healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rectal nitric oxide measurement is a feasible and useful method for monitoring disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease, especially in children.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tryggve
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ljung
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beijer
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herulf
authors.forename: Eddie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weitzberg
authors.forename: Jon O N
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Lundberg
authors.forename: Yigael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Finkel
authors.forename: Per M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Hellström
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D012007:Rectum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide