Resistance to activated protein C is a risk factor for fibrostenosis in Crohn's disease.

AIM

To evaluate the effect of resistance to activated protein C (aPCR), the most common known inherited thrombophilic disorder, on the risk of intestinal operation of fibrostenosis in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

METHODS

In a previous study, we assessed the prevalence of aPCR in CD. In a retrospective case-controlled study, 8 of these CD patients with aPCR were now compared with 24 CD patients without aPCR, matched by gender, age at diagnosis and duration of disease in a 1:3 fashion. The primary end point was the occurrence of an intestinal CD-related operation with evidence of fibrostenosis in the bowel resection specimen.

RESULTS

The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with aPCR had a lower probability of remaining free of operation with fibrostenosis than patients without aPCR (P = 0.0372; exact log-rank test) resulting in a significantly shorter median time interval from diagnosis of CD to the first operation with fibrostenosis (32 vs 160 mo). At 10 years, the likelihood of remaining free of operation with fibrostenosis was 25% for patients with aPCR and 57.8% for patients without aPCR.

CONCLUSION

CD patients with aPCR are at higher risk to undergo intestinal operation of fibrostenosis than those without aPCR. This supports our hypothesis of aPCR being a possible risk factor for fibrostenosis in CD.