marker of arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease

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Serum human cartilage glycoprotein 39 as a marker of arthritis

associated with inflammatory bowel disease

ls of the Rheumatic Diseases 2003;62:1224-1226

© 2003 by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism

http://ard.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/62/12/1224

ABSTRACT

Background: Common blood markers of arthritis are difficult to interpret

in arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) owing to

the coexistence of two inflammatory events. No specific serological

disease marker is available for IBD.

Objective: To determine a value of serum human cartilage glycoprotein 39

(HC gp39) as a marker of arthritis associated with IBD.

Methods: Serum levels of HC gp39 and ultrasensitive C reactive protein

(CRP) were determined in 121 patients with IBD: 58 without arthritis

(IBD-nonA) and 63 with arthritis (IBD-A), and in 20 healthy controls.

IBD was classified as active (aIBD) and non-active (naIBD), and patients

with IBD-A were classified as type I, II, and III arthritis by clinical

activity indices.

Results: HC gp39 was higher in IBD-A than in IBD-nonA and controls,

while no difference was found between IBD-nonA and controls. CRP was

increased in both IBD-A and IBD-nonA compared with the controls and in

aIBD-nonA v naIBD-nonA, but no difference in CRP was found between

aIBD-A and naIBD-A. Finally, a correlation was found between the number

of affected joints (NAJ) and HC gp39.

Discussion: Increased serum levels of HC gp39, which were higher in

IBD-A than in IBD-nonA, suggest that this substance might be a marker of

arthropathy in IBD. HC gp39, because of its relationship with NAJ in

IBD-A, may also be proposed as a disease activity marker in arthritis

associated with IBD.

Keywords: inflammatory bowel diseases; enteroarthritis; glycoprotein 39,

YKL-40; C reactive protein

Abbreviations: aIBD, active IBD; CD, Crohn’s disease; CRP, C reactive

protein; HC gp39, human cartilage glycoprotein 39; IBD, inflammatory

bowel disease; IBD-A, IBD with arthritis; IBD-nonA, IBD without

arthritis; naIBD, non-active IBD; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; NAJ, number

of affected joints; OA, osteoarthritis; UC ulcerative colitis

L Punzi1, M Podswiadek1, R D’Incà2, M Zaninotto3, D Bernardi3, M

Plebani3 and G C Sturniolo2

1 Division of Rheumatology, University of Padova, Italy

2 Division of Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Italy

3 Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Padova, Italy

Correspondence to: Professor L Punzi

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences,

University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padova, Italy;

punzireu@...