Clinical ResearchThe value of serologic markers in indeterminate colitis: A prospective follow-up study☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Patients
This study involved a collaborative effort of 3 European university hospital centers in Leuven, Belgium; Lille, France; and Vienna, Austria. The study began in 1996. Patients with IC were accessioned, whether they had IBD for some time or whether they were newly classified. The follow-up time from inclusion was at least 1 year for each patient. Whole venous blood was obtained at the time of inclusion. Serum was separated by centrifugation, and aliquots were stored at −30°C.21 Ninety-seven
Results
Ninety-seven patients with IC were included in this prospective study. No differences in female/male ratio, age, age at onset, and duration of disease were seen among the 3 centers. At the time of inclusion, 88 patients had IBD for some time and 9 patients were newly classified. The mean duration of disease was 9.9 years (range, 1–39 years).
Thus far, the disease in 31 of 97 patients (32%) has evolved to the point that a definitive diagnosis has been rendered (Leuven, n = 8; Lille, n = 18;
Discussion
In most cases of IBD, a differentiation between CD and UC can be achieved with conventional diagnostic methods. However, an exact diagnosis cannot be made in approximately 10% of patients with colitis, and these patients are classified as having IC.5 Excellent Scandinavian epidemiologic studies have shown that 5% to 23% of all initial diagnoses of IBD are IC31, 32 and that the incidence of IC is 2.4 per 100,000.33 Despite the fact that IC is a rather temporary diagnosis and that up to 80% of
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Verena Kratzer for excellent technical assistance.
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Address requests for reprints to: Paul Rutgeerts, M.D., Department of Gastroenterology, U.Z. Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. e-mail: [email protected]; fax: (32) 16-344419.
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Supported by a grant of the Funds for Scientific Research (Brussels, Belgium) and by a private grant by A. Lazzari. S.V. is aspirant of the FWO Belgium.