CIRCULATING D-DIMER IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE

An activated thrombogenesis has been reported in inflammatory bowel di sease (IBD). In this study we evaluated whether a fibrin degradation p roduct, the D dimer, is increased in patients with IBD. D dimer plasma levels were evaluated by sandwich ELISA in patients with Crohn's dise ase (24), ulcerative colitis (25), gastrointestinal (GI) disease contr ols (10), hospital controls (13) and healthy subjects (14). Circulatin g D dimer was significantly higher in ulcerative colitis (median 651; 95% CI 89-1275 ng/ml) than in healthy subjects (median 412; 95% CI 112 -672 ng/ml; p=0.002), Crohn's disease (median 466; 95% CI 6-931 ng/ml; p=0.005) and GI disease controls (median 446; 95% CI 196-688 ng/mt; p =0.023). In ulcerative colitis, plasma D dimer was related to inflamma tory parameters such as C-reactive protein (p<0.01) and seromucoids (p <0.001). Circulating D dimer was age-related in all groups (p<0.05). F ibrin degradation, as reflected by plasma D dimer, is detected in pati ents with ulcerative colitis exhibiting a marked acute phase response.