Association of serological markers with endoscopic mucosal healing and disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective study

Objective This study aimed to examine the link between serological markers and endoscopic mucosal healing and inflammation in diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Methods Clinical data from 200 IBD patients (91 with ulcerative colitis [UC] and 109 with Crohn’s disease [CD]) admitted between December 2022 and June 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, alongside 100 healthy controls. Using the Mayo Endoscopic Score (MES) as the standard, UC patients were divided into an inactive group (n=23) and an active group (n=68). Based on the Simplified Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease (SES-CD), patients in the CD group were divided into an inactive group (n=28) and an active group (n=81). Levels of CRP, TNF-α, ESR, PLT, and ALB were compared. ROC curves assessed predictive efficacy, and Spearman correlation analysis examined correlations. Results CRP, TNF-α, ESR, and PLT levels were significantly elevated, but ALB levels were reduced in both UC and CD groups compared to the control group ( p < 0.05). In inactive patients, CRP, TNF-α, ESR, and PLT levels were lower, but ALB levels were higher compared to active patients in both UC and CD groups ( p < 0.05). For UC patients, the AUCs for CRP, TNF-α, ESR, PLT, and ALB in assessing mucosal healing were 0.825, 0.712, 0.810, 0.770, and 0.769, respectively, with a combined test AUC of 0.922, surpassing individual markers (CRP: Z = 2.340, p = 0.019; TNF-α: Z = 3.488, p