The correlation between the concentration of faecal calprotectin and markers of inflammation in children with gastrointestinal disorders

Introduction: Calprotectin is an acute phase protein that occurs in large amounts in the granules and cytosolic fluid of neutrophils, and in smaller amounts in monocytes and macrophages. In bowel inflammation, increased neutrophil migration from the circulation to the intestinal lumen is observed as a consequence of mucosal damage. This leads to the release of a significant amount of calprotectin by activated leukocytes in intestine, thereby increasing its concentration in the faeces. This allows the non-invasive assessment of intestinal inflammation. Other markers useful in patients with bowel inflammation are erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between the concentration of faecal calprotectin (FC) and other markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin in serum, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and white blood cells (WBC) count and in children with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Material and methods: This study is based on a retrospective analysis of laboratory results of 370 children suspected of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Pearson’s coefficient was used to assess the correlation between the parameters. Results: There was a positive correlation between concentration of FC and parameters such as CRP (r=0.16; p=0.0345), ESR (r=0.38; p<0.0001) and WBC (r=0.24; p=0.0008) in children with IBD. There was also a negative correlation between concentration of FC and ferritin (r=-0.24; p=0.0089) in children with IBD. Conclusion: In this study, ESR turned out to be more adequate than CRP and WBC in detecting inflammation in patients with IBD.