[Acute-phase proteins and beta 2 microglobulin in the follow-up of Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis].

The concentrations of orosomucoid, CRP, prealbumin and beta-2-microglobulin were measured in 109 serum samples taken from 19 children with M. Crohn and in 62 samples from 7 children with colitis ulcerosa. The levels were correlated with an activity index calculated on the basis of clinical observations and routine laboratory tests. The orosomucoid and CRP levels rose significantly with increasing severity of both diseases, while neither prealbumin nor beta-2-microglobulin revealed a sufficiently close correlation with the clinical activity. The measurement of CRP and orosomucoid, which is simple to carry out (radial immunodiffusion), enables a fairly exact estimate of the severity of inflammation. Both acute-phase-proteins proved to be of valuable assistance not only in difficult decisions regarding therapy but also for follow-up examinations in randomized studies.