Monitoring of leucine‐rich alpha‐2‐glycoprotein and assessment by small bowel capsule endoscopy are prognostic for Crohn's disease patients

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Endoscopy is important to determine the effectiveness of treatment for Crohn's disease (CD), but searching the entire small intestine is difficult. Thus, we investigated the usefulness of leucine‐rich alpha‐2 glycoprotein (LRG), a new biomarker for predicting mucosal activity, in evaluating the activity of CD small intestinal lesions. This will further determine whether the results of small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) affect the prognosis of patients with CD. METHODS: A total of 114 patients with CD who underwent SBCE were included. We analyzed the correlation between LRG and Capsule Endoscopy Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CECDAI). The cutoff value of LRG to achieve mucosal healing was calculated using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Then, we compared the presence or absence of intervention and the relapse rate of patients who could not achieve mucosal healing. RESULTS: The CECDAI correlated with LRG. The calculated LRG value for achieving mucosal healing was ≤11.9. Ninety‐one patients were in clinical remission at the time of SBCE. During the follow‐up period, 17 patients relapsed. As a result of SBCE, when no treatment intervention was performed in the case of CECDAI ≥3.5, the relapse rate was significantly higher than when CECDAI <3.5 or intervention was performed in the case of CECDAI ≥3.5. CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal that LRG correlates with the activity of the entire small intestine and that SBCE assessment and therapeutic intervention can influence patient prognosis.