Faecal Calprotectin -Quick revision card

non invasive stool test to measure levels of calprotectin Calprotectin is a calcium binding protein which constitutes 60 % of the neutrophil cytosol -it is released during inflammation of the bowel ( neutrophil migration into GI tissue ) Calprotectin is not degraded by gut enzymes - ie the sample can be kept from 5-7 days without any effect on the testing process or result & distribution in stool is homogeneous level of calprotectin is proportional to neutrophil migration through the gut wall and it increases with the degree of inflammation Calprotectin is a better marker of bowel inflammation as other markers as CRP , ESR do not measure bowel inflammation specifically and can be influenced by a number of other non-intestinal conditions

The main aim of using this test is to help the clinicians differentiate between Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( IBS ) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease ( IBD ) as the presenting symptoms can be very similar , along with clinical assessment

A sensitive test but not specific to one cause , it can also be elevated due to gut infections , diverticulitis , cancer , NSAIDs , coeliac disease , liver cirrhosis , polyps

Faecal calprotectin can be readily...