title: Clinical significance of serum procalcitonin in patients with ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association of procalcitonin (PCT) with ulcerative colitis (UC) activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum PCT levels, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the white blood cell count were analyzed in 18 patients with UC and 11 healthy volunteers. Serum PCT levels were analyzed by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Severity assessments were based on Truelove and Witts' severity index. Correlation of serum PCT and CRP levels with UC activity was examined. Moreover, we assessed serum PCT and CRP levels in patients with a Mayo endoscopic subscore.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum PCT levels in severe UC patients (n = 7) (0.096 ± 0.034 ng/mL) were significantly higher than in mild-to-moderate UC patients (n = 11) (0.033 ± 0.012 ng/mL) and healthy volunteers (n = 11) (0.035 ± 0.005 ng/mL) (P = 0.0005 and P < 0.0001, respectively). In addition, there was no difference in serum PCT levels between mild-to-moderate UC patients and healthy volunteers. Interestingly, patients with a Mayo endoscopic subscore of 3 points displayed significantly increased levels of serum PCT (0.075 ± 0.043 ng/mL) compared with patients with a subscore of 2 points (0.03 ± 0.011 ng/mL) (P = 0.0302). Moreover, CRP levels in patients with severe UC or a Mayo endoscopic subscore of 3 points were not significantly higher than in patients with mild-to-moderate UC or a Mayo endoscopic subscore of 3 points.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum PCT levels were significantly correlated with UC activity.
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koido
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshifumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkusa
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takakura
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Odahara
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsukinaga
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Toyokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yukawa
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Jimi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mitobe
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajihara
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.affiliation: Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa, Kazuki Takakura, Shunichi Odahara, Shintaro Tsukinaga, Toyokazu Yukawa, Jimi Mitobe, Mikio Kajihara, Kan Uchiyama, Hiroshi Arakawa, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Chiba 277-8567, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tajiri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
keywords: C-reactive protein; Disease activity; Procalcitonin; Severity; Ulcerative colitis