[Procollagen-III-peptide in the serum of patients with Crohn disease].

Serum procollagen-III-peptide (PP III) concentrations were measured in 54 patients with Crohn's disease and compared with data obtained from healthy controls and patients with liver fibrosis or ulcerative colitis. Whereas in alcoholic liver cirrhosis and chronic active hepatitis PP III was increased up to 18-fold as described by others, only 3 patients with Crohn's disease had slightly elevated PP III concentrations. In 2 of them, increased PP III could be explained by adolescence. In 5 other patients, PP III levels were at the upper limit of normal. Subgroup analysis showed that high clinical disease activity, recurrence after intestinal resection, presence of strictures and long disease duration did not elevate PP III levels. We therefore conclude that determination of serum PP III is of no value in the follow-up patients with Crohn's disease. In ulcerative colitis, PP III levels were uniformly normal. An additional result was a decreased PP III during corticosteroid therapy, suggesting a direct effect on collagen metabolism.