Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein levels key to assessing Crohn's disease in children

Published in the Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, this study evaluated the significance of various endoscopic scoring methods for assessing disease activity in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD).

A total of children diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) were studied. They evaluated disease activity using the Pediatric Crohn's Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) and assigned different endoscopic scores based on the findings. The Spearman rank correlation analysis assessed the relationship between each endoscopic scoring method, PCDAI, and the laboratory indicators.

The study found that the PCDAI moderately correlated with several endoscopic scoring methods: Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease, Lewis Inflammatory Score, Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity and Capsule Endoscopy-Crohn's Disease Activity Index. However, the consistency between these endoscopic scores and PCDAI in assessing CD activity was generally poor.

 Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), hematocrit and serum albumin levels moderately correlated with the disease activity scores. Still, they showed weaker correlations with capsule endoscopy scores. 

ESR and CRP were more effective than hematocrit and serum albumin in predicting disease activity based on different scoring methods.