Gastroenterologìa (Nov 2019)
Gender features of the level of intestinal inflammatory markers in patients with ulcerative colitis
Abstract
Background. Today, the development and implementation of non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis is certainly an actual task of the scientific community, the solution of which will allow us to prescribe the adequate treatment in time and to improve the quality of life of patients. Given that the differences between women and men in the parameters determining the state of health are generally recognized, the purpose of the work was to determine the gender characteristics of the level of biological markers of intestinal inflammation in patients with ulcerative colitis. Materials and methods. Sixty patients with ulcerative colitis were examined, among them there were 31 (51.7 %) men and 29 (48.3 %) women with mean age of (40.28 ± 1.34) years. The comparison group consisted of 20 patients with irritable bowel syndrome. By means of enzyme immunoassay using a StatFax 303 Plus analyzer (USA) with Immundiagnostik (Germany) test kit, we determined the level of fecal myeloperoxidase, the content of α1-antitrypsin in the blood serum and feces, and the level of fecal calprotectin using a Bühlmann test kit (Switzerland). Results. Fecal myeloperoxidase and calprotectin are specific markers of intestinal inflammation, which is confirmed by established correlations between the endoscopic activity of intestinal inflammation and its content: r = 0.632; p < 0.05, and r = 0.532; p < 0.05, respectively. The concentration of α1-antitrypsin in the feces of men is 3 times higher than that in women (p < 0.05), and, on the contrary, the level of α1-antitrypsin in the blood is higher in female patients compared to men (p < 0.05). The discovered correlation between the content of α1-antitrypsin in the feces and the male gender (r = 0.528; p < 0.05) indicates a higher activity of the inflammatory process in the colon in men. Conclusions. Gender differences in the level of non-invasive markers of activity of ulcerative colitis should be taken into account when assessing the clinical signs of patients and monitoring the effectiveness of their treatment.
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