Inflammatory bowel disease serology in Asia and the West.

AIM: To study serological antibodies in Caucasians and Asians, in health and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in Australia and Hong Kong (HK).

METHODS: Anti-glycan antibodies [anti-chitobioside (ACCA), anti-laminaribioside (ALCA)], and anti-mannobioside (AMCA), anti-Saccharomyces cervisiae (gASCA); and atypical perinuclear anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (pANCA) were tested in IBD patients, their unaffected relatives, and healthy controls in Australia and HK (China). Antibody status (positive or negative) and titre was compared between subjects of different geography, ethnicity and disease state.

RESULTS: Ninety subjects were evaluated: 21 Crohn's disease (CD), 32 ulcerative colitis (UC), 29 healthy controls, and 8 IBD patient relatives. Forty eight subjects were Australian (29 Caucasian and 19 ethnic Han Chinese) and 42 were from HK (all Han Chinese). Caucasian CD patients had a significantly higher antibody prevalence of gASCA (67% vs 3%, P < 0.001), ALCA (44% vs 6%, P = 0.005), and AMCA (67% vs 15%, P = 0.002), whereas HK CD patients had a higher prevalence of only AMCA (58% vs 25%, P = 0.035), when compared with UC and healthy subjects in both countries. Caucasian CD had significantly higher gASCA prevalence (67% vs 0%, P < 0.001) and titre (median 59 vs 9, P = 0.002) than HK CD patients. Prevalence and titres of ALCA, ACCA and AMCA did not differ between CD in the two countries. Presence of at least one antibody was higher in Caucasian than HK CD patients (100% vs 58%, P = 0.045). pANCA did not differ between countries or ethnicity.

CONCLUSION: Serologic CD responses differ between HK Asian and Australian Caucasian patients. Different genetic, environmental or disease pathogenic factors may account for these differences.