Urinary Chemerin Level and Its Possible Relation to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity

Background Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic multifactorial disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology of IBD remains largely unknown. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are relapsing inflammatory conditions responsible for most IBD cases. Endoscopy with biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing and managing IBD. However, while effective, they are costly and invasive. As a result, researchers are exploring non-invasive biomarkers as alternative tools for IBD prognosis and management. Aim of the Work The current study aimed to assess the utility of urinary chemerin as a non- invasive biomarker for monitoring IBD activity. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study included 46 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD. Urinary chemerin levels were assayed using an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results A significant correlation between urinary chemerin levels and the degree of intestinal inflammation was detected in IBD patients. Urinary chemerin has excellent diagnostic performance to detect IBD activity (AUC: 0.883, sensitivity: 96.2%, specificity: 95.0%, PPV: 98.7%, NPV: 77.9%). Conclusion Urinary chemerin can be used as a noninvasive biomarker for monitoring disease activity in IBD patients.