Serum tryptophan in Crohn's disease.

Tryptophan absorption was studied in 32 patients with Crohn's disease and 16 healthy controls. A non-parametric sorting process identified two distinct groups of patients; 19 with normal tryptophan absorption values and 13 with distinctly subnormal results. The patients with impaired tryptophan absorption ate less, had lost more weight, and had lower serum albumin levels and greater intestinal protein loss than the group with normal absorption. Bacterial colonization of the jejunum, liver disease, and steroid therapy did not seem to influence tryptophan values in these patients.