Ghrelin Levels and Disease Localization in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Correlation Study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to assess the relationship between ghrelin levels and factors such as disease localization, age, sex, disease duration, age at diagnosis, and biochemical parameters in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Materials and Methods: The study included 87 patients (43 males, 44 females) with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) aged 18–75 years, who applied to gastroenterology outpatient clinic. Exclusion criteria were chronic diseases other than UC and CD. Correlations between plasma ghrelin levels and disease characteristics were analyzed statistically. Results: The mean patient age was 41.05 years (±11.6), and the mean age at diagnosis was 34.9 years (±11.3). Of the patients, 24 (27.6%) had CD, and 63 (72.4%) had UC. The most common site of involvement was the left colon (35%), while the highest ghrelin level was found in pancolitis cases (5.9176 ng/ml). However, no significant correlation was observed between ghrelin levels and sex, age, age at diagnosis, disease duration, type of IBD, localization of disease or biochemical parameters (C-reactive protein, sedimentation rate, hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocyte levels). Conclusion: Ghrelin levels were not indicative of disease localization in IBD patients in remission. However, based on previous research, ghrelin may hold potential as a marker for IBD diagnosis and activation rather than localization.

Keywords

• Inflammatory bowel diseases
• Ulcerative colitis
• Crohn's Disease
• Ghrelin

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