P76 Faecal sulcatone: a new marker of disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC)?

IntroductionUC disease assessment is based on symptoms, faecal and endoscopic analysis. Symptoms are subjective, and faecal calprotectin is elevated when blood is lost (e.g., due to mucosal bleeding in UC but also other conditions such as piles). We investigated whether faecal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could be used to determine disease activity.Methods38 newly presenting children with UC and controls with non-IBD intestinal disorders were recruited. Disease severity was assessed by PUCDAI. Stool samples were analysed using calprotectin assays and VOCs by GC mass spec using our optimised protocol (Reade et al, J Anal Bioanal Tech 2014;5:184)ResultsMedian age was 13 years (range 5–16) and 13 (range 3–16) with 66% and 63% males in UC and controls respectively. UC was mild in 29%, moderate in 45% and severe in 26% of cases.More VOCs were identified in controls than cases (Wilcoxon rank-sum test p=0.02) and less VOCs in severe than mild or moderate UC (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0.002). 27 VOCs had significant variances in UC (p