Silent Crohn's Disease: Asymptomatic Patients with Elevated C-reactive Protein Are at Risk for Subsequent Hospitalization

Background:Patient-reported Crohn's disease (CD) symptoms and endoscopic evaluation have historically guided routine care, but the risk of complications in asymptomatic patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is unknown.Methods:We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of patients with CD from a tertiary care center. Subjects with short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire scores 50, Harvey-Bradshaw CD scores 4, and same-day CRP measurement were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcome was disease-related hospitalization up to 24 months after the qualifying clinic visit. We assessed the relationship between CRP elevation and subsequent hospitalization.Results:There were 351 asymptomatic patients with CD (median age 40 yr; 50.4% female) who met inclusion criteria, and CRP was elevated in 19.7% of these individuals (n = 69). At 24 months, 16.8% (n = 59) of the study population had been hospitalized for CD-related complications. Significantly, more patients with an elevated CRP were hospitalized (33.3% versus 12.8%, P < 0.0001) compared with those with a normal CRP and were hospitalized at increased rate (P < 0.001) on Kaplan-Meier analysis. CRP elevation was significantly and independently associated with increased risk of hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-3.98; P = 0.02) in multivariable survival analysis.Conclusions:Asymptomatic patients with CD with elevated CRP are at a nearly 2-fold higher risk for hospitalization over the subsequent 2 years compared with asymptomatic patients with CD without CRP elevation.