Clinical Research
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 7, 2006; 12(5): 739-746
Published online Feb 7, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i5.739
Microproteinuria in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Is it associated with the disease activity or the treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid?
Androniki C Poulou, Konstantinos E Goumas, Dimitrios C Dandakis, Ioannis Tyrmpas, Maria Panagiotaki, Androniki Georgouli, Dimitrios C Soutos, Athanasios Archimandritis
Androniki C Poulou, Konstantinos E Goumas, Dimitrios C Dandakis, Ioannis Tyrmpas, Maria Panagiotaki, Androniki Georgouli, Dimitrios C Soutos, Gastroenterology Department of Red Cross Hospital of Athens, Athanasaki 1, 11521 Athens, Greece
Athanasios Archimandritis, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, University of Athens Medical School “Hippokratio” General Hospital, 11521 Athens, Greece
Correspondence to: Dr Androniki Poulou, Red Cross Hospital of Athens, Spetson 25, Voula, 16673 Athens, Greece. ddandakis@yahoo.com
Telephone: +30-210-6414724 Fax: +30-210-6414635
Received: July 3, 2005
Revised: July 9, 2005
Accepted: July 20, 2005
Published online: February 7, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To investigate whether microproteinuria in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with the disease activity or the treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA).

METHODS: We prospectively studied microproteinuria in 86 consecutive patients with IBD, 61 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 25 with Crohn’s disease (CD), before as well as 2 and 6 months after their inclusion in the study. Forty-six patients received 5-ASA for a period of 28.8 months (range 1-168 mo). Microalbuminuria (mALB) and urine levels of the renal tubular proteins β2-microglobulin (β2mGLB) and β-N-acetyl-D-glucosamidase (β-NAG) as well as the creatinine clearance were determined in a 12-h overnight urine collection. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) serum levels were also measured.

RESULTS: A total of 277 measurements (194 in UC patients and 83 in CD patients) were performed. The prevalence of abnormal microproteinuria in UC and CD patients was 12.9% and 6.0% for mALB, 22.7% and 27.7% for β2mGLB, and 11.3% and 8.4% for β-NAG, respectively. mALB was not associated with IBD activity. β2mGLB and β-NAG urine levels were correlated to UC activity (UCAI: P<0.01; UCEI: P<0.005). mALB in UC patients and β-NAG urine levels in CD patients were related to TNF-α serum levels. An association was noticed between microproteinuria and smoking habit. Treatment with 5-ASA was not correlated to the severity of microproteinuria or to the changes of creatinine clearance.

CONCLUSION: Microproteinuria is mainly associated with UC and its activity but not affected by 5-ASA.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Micropro-teinuria; 5-aminosalicylic acid