Serum antibodies in first-degree relatives of patients with IBD: a marker of disease susceptibility? A follow-up pilot-study after 7 years

• Published in: Digestion Vol. 72; no. 2-3; p. 119
• Main Authors: Török, H P, Glas, J, Hollay, H C, Gruber, R, Osthoff, M, Tonenchi, L, Brückl, C, Mussack, T, Folwaczny, M, Folwaczny, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01-01-2005
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibodies - immunology; Colitis, Ulcerative - genetics; Colitis, Ulcerative - immunology; Crohn Disease - genetics; Crohn Disease - immunology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects
• DOI: 10.1159/000088366
• ISSN: 0012-2823

Various disease-specific serum antibodies were described in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and their yet healthy first-degree relatives. In the latter, serum antibodies are commonly regarded as potential markers of disease susceptibility. The present long-term follow-up study evaluated the fate of antibody-positive first-degree relatives.
25 patients with Crohn's disease, 19 patients with ulcerative colitis and 102 first-degree relatives in whom presence of ASCA, pANCA, pancreatic- and goblet-cell antibodies had been assessed were enrolled. The number of incident cases with inflammatory bowel disease was compared between antibody-positive and antibody-negative first-degree relatives 7 years after storage of serum samples.
34 of 102 (33%) first-degree relatives were positive for at least one of the studied serum antibodies. In the group of first-degree relatives, one case of Crohn's disease and one case of ulcerative colitis were diagnosed during the follow-up period. However, both relatives did not display any of the investigated serum antibodies (p=1).
The findings of our pilot study argue against a role of serum antibodies as a marker of disease susceptibility in first-degree relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. However, these data have to await confirmation in larger ideally prospective multicenter studies before definite conclusions can be drawn.