Immune activation and nutritional status in adult Crohn's disease patients

Abstract Background. Recent attention focused on the effect of inflammatory cytokines on intermediary metabolism contributing to the nutritional disturbances observed in acute or chronic inflammatory diseases. Aims. To examine the interactions between immune activation and nutritional parameters in adult Crohn's disease patients. Patients and methods. We analysed anthropometric and biochemical nutritional parameters in 40 Crohn's disease patients and 26 healthy controls, and related them to inflammatory and immune markers. Results. Weight, body mass index, mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, as well as albumin, transthyretin, retinol binding protein, insulin growth factor-I and Vitamin A were significantly decreased in Crohn's disease patients and negatively correlated to disease activity. By contrast, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, α1-acylglycoprotein, soluble receptor of interleukin-2, blood neopterin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1β concentrations were significantly higher in patients and positively correlated to disease activity. Nutritional parameters and acute phase reactants were linked to tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1β concentrations, and markers of nutritional status were negatively correlated to positive acute phase reactants. Conclusions. In Crohn's disease, inflammatory cytokines appear partly responsible for decreased nutritional status. Thus, nutritional intervention to correct nutritional (in particular protein) depletion, and/or therapeutic intervention reducing inflammation and therefore restoring adequate nutritional proteins synthesis, appears a major therapeutic goal in active Crohn's disease.