title: Basal Plasma Levels of Copeptin are Elevated in Inactive Inflammatory Bowel Disease after Bowel Resection.
abstract: Evidence of interactions between the enteric nervous system, neuropeptides, and the immune system is growing. The aim of this study was to examine basal plasma levels of a variety of peptide precursors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In two middle-aged cohorts, Malmö Preventive Medicine (n = 5,415) and Malmö Diet and Cost Study (n = 6,103), individuals with the diagnosis of IBD were identified. Medical records were scrutinized. Three controls were matched for each patient. Copeptin, midregional fragments of adrenomedullin, pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, and proenkephalin A, as well as N-terminal protachykinin A and proneurotensin were analyzed in the plasma. Sixty-two IBD patients were identified. The only difference between patients and controls was higher copeptin levels in the patients compared with controls (P = 0.006), with higher copeptin levels in resected than unresected patients (P = 0.020). There was no difference in any precursor levels between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, between different distributions of disease lesions, or between different treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Internal Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, and Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bodil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ohlsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Internal Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, and Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Melander
keywords: copeptin; inflammatory bowel disease; irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms; neuropeptides; precursors