Korean J Intern Med > Epub ahead of print
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Predicted pro-inflammatory high-sensitivity C-reactive protein score and inflammatory bowel disease: a cross-sectional study
Dong Hyun Kim1,11, Akinkunmi Paul Okekunle2,3, Jioh Kang3, Hyun-Soo Kim1, Sang Hoon Kim4,11, Min Kyu Jung5,11, Jae Ho Park6,7,11, Soo Young Na8,11, Hoonjai Chun9,11, Jung Eun Lee3 , and Yun Jeong Lim10,11
1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
2Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, USA
3Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Human Ecology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
4Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung- Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Korea
5Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Korea
6Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong, Korea
7Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea
8Department of Internal Medicine, Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
9Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Hospital and Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
10Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea
11Nutrition Research Group under Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Cancer Research
Corresponding Author: Jung Eun Lee  , Tel: +82-2-880-6834, Fax: +82-2-884-0305, Email: jungelee@snu.ac.kr
Yun Jeong Lim  , Tel: +82-31-961-7133, Fax: +82-31-961-7133, Email: drlimyj@gmail.com
Received: February 4, 2025;   Revised: March 21, 2025;   Accepted: April 30, 2025.
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Abstract
Background/Aims: The role of pro-inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), is not well understood. This study investigated the association between the predicted pro-inflammatory high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) score and IBD.
Methods: This study involved 127 case/non-case pairs matched by age and sex of participants who underwent gastrointestinal endoscopy in Korea. Participants provided comprehensive sociodemographic, lifestyle, and dietary data. We obtained odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for IBD prevalence by tertiles of the predicted pro-inflammatory hs-CRP score using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models at a two-sided p < 0.05.
Results: Higher predicted pro-inflammatory hs-CRP score was associated with a higher IBD prevalence; OR (95% CI): 1.00, 0.88 (0.38, 2.07) and 8.11 (2.07, 31.81; p for trend = 0.006). Similar increased trends of IBD prevalence with score increase were observed for men and women. The association was more pronounced for UC prevalence when we separated UC and CD. Compared to the low category, OR (95% CI) were 5.78 (1.29, 25.89) for UC but 1.44 (0.31, 6.69) for CD in the dichotomized higher category. The area under the curve for predicted pro-inflammatory hs-CRP score was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.81) for UC and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.77) for CD, indicating moderate predictive ability.
Conclusions: Higher predicted pro-inflammatory hs-CRP score was significantly associated with an increased prevalence of IBD, particularly UC, and could be a valuable indicator for discriminating people at risk of IBD, offering insights into disease aetiology and opportunities for targeted interventions.
Keywords: Ulcerative colitis ; Crohn disease ; Inflammatory bowel diseases ; Inflammation ; Life style

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