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A paediatric Crohn's disease activity index (PCDAI). Is it useful?
Author(s) -
Harms Hinrich Karsten,
Blomer Roland,
BerteleHarms RoseMarie,
Shmerling David H,
König Michael,
Spaeth Annerose
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1994.tb13224.x
Subject(s) - medicine , erythrocyte sedimentation rate , crohn's disease , disease , gastroenterology , crohn disease
Since 1976, various activity indices for Crohn's disease have been developed but none has been suitable for use in the paediatric age group. Therefore, the German‐Swiss Study Group on Crohn's Disease in Children and Adolescents decided to develop their own paediatric Crohn's disease activity index (PCDAI) by multiple regression analysis of prospectively collected data. The result was a simple index consisting of two clinical (appetite, number of stools/week) and four laboratory variables (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum iron and α 2 ‐globulin concentrations and bands as percentage of white blood cells). Applying the index to patients who were followed‐up, it could be demonstrated that the changes in PCDAI inversely reflected the changes in weight and that the surgical removal of the inflamed parts of the gut reduced the disease activity index to levels comparable to those obtained in patients after successful, exclusively conservative, treatment. Low disease activity was maintained for at least three years.