Which laboratory marker is a non-specific indicator of intestinal inflammation?

• A. C-reactive protein (CRP)
• B. Lipase
• C. Platelet count only
• D. Albumin level

Answer: (A)

CRP rises quickly in response to inflammation anywhere in the body, including the gut, making it a useful non-specific marker of intestinal inflammatory activity. It’s produced by the liver in reaction to cytokines such as IL-6, so higher levels suggest active inflammation and can help track response to treatment in inflammatory bowel disease, even though CRP doesn’t prove inflammation is confined to the intestines. Some patients with active IBD may have normal CRP, so it isn’t perfect, but it’s among the most sensitive general indicators of inflammation available.

Lipase specifically signals pancreatic injury, not intestinal inflammation. Platelet count can increase with inflammation but is a broad, non-specific hematologic response rather than a direct measure of gut inflammation. Albumin can drop with chronic inflammation and malnutrition, but it changes slowly and is influenced by many factors, making it a less direct or timely marker of intestinal inflammatory activity.