Gut Liver.  2016 Jul;10(4):649-652. 10.5009/gnl15439.

Differences in Clinical Manifestations according to the Positivity of Interferon-γ Assay in Patients with Intestinal Tuberculosis

• Jung HJ
• Kim YH
• Kim YS
• Jeong SY
• Park SW
• Seo JY
• Jung H
• Im JP
• Kim JW
• Hong SN
• Lee KL

• KMID: 2412056
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5009/gnl15439

Abstract

Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) remains prevalent in Asia. An interferon-γ assay (QuantiFERON-TB gold test [QFT]) is considered to be an effective supplementary tool for diagnosing ITB. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of ITB patients based on the initial results of QFT. A total of 109 patients with ITB were enrolled, and 82 patients (75.2%) showed positive QFT results. In the QFT-positive group, the mean age (44.1±12.0 years) was significantly higher than that in the QFT-negative group (37.0±14.8, p=0.0096). Abdominal pain (p=0.006) and diarrhea (p=0.030) were more frequent in the QFT-negative group. Further, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly higher in the QFT-negative group (6.4±9.9 mg/dL) than in the QFT-positive group (1.3±2.3, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that younger age (p=0.016), diarrhea (p=0.042), and high levels of CRP (p=0.029) were independent predictors of QFT-negative results in patients with ITB. These results suggest that prior exposure to TB, reflected by QFT positivity, may cause mild inflammation in patients with ITB.

Keyword

Intestinal tuberculosis; Interferon-gamma assay; C-reactive protein

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain/microbiology
Adult
C-Reactive Protein/metabolism
Diarrhea/microbiology
Female
Humans
Interferon-gamma/*metabolism
Interferon-gamma Release Tests/methods/standards
Male
Retrospective Studies
Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal/*diagnosis
Interferon-gamma
C-Reactive Protein