Differences in Clinical Manifestations according to the Positivity of Interferon-γ Assay in Patients with Intestinal Tuberculosis.
Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) remains prevalent in Asia. An interferon-γ assay (QuantiFERON-TB gold test [QFT]) is considered to be an effective supplementary tool for diagnosing ITB. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of ITB patients based on the initial results of QFT. A total of 109 patients with ITB were enrolled, and 82 patients (75.2%) showed positive QFT results. In the QFT-positive group, the mean age (44.1±12.0 years) was significantly higher than that in the QFT-negative group (37.0±14.8, p=0.0096). Abdominal pain (p=0.006) and diarrhea (p=0.030) were more frequent in the QFT-negative group. Further, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in the QFTnegative group (6.4±9.9 mg/dL) than in the QFT-positive group (1.3±2.3, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that younger age (p=0.016), diarrhea (p=0.042), and high levels of CRP (p=0.029) were independent predictors of QFTnegative results in patients with ITB. These results suggest that prior exposure to TB, reflected by QFT positivity, may cause mild inflammation in patients with ITB.
Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Department of Health Promotion Center, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
Hye Jin
HJ
Jung
Department of Internal Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Young-Ho
YH
Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
You Sun
YS
Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Seong Yeon
SY
Jeong
Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sung Won
SW
Park
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ji Yeon
JY
Seo
Department of Internal Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hyemi
H
Jung
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jong Pil
JP
Im
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ji Won
JW
Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sung Noh
SN
Hong
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kuk Lae
KL
Lee
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000382:microbiology; D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D059425:Interferon-gamma Release Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014385:Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal / Q000175:diagnosis*
D007371:Interferon-gamma; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
C-reactive protein; Interferon-gamma assay; Intestinal tuberculosis