Calprotectin, a protein in white blood cells, indicates inflammation, especially in the gut. Testing calprotectin in feces shows how inflamed the intestines are. This helps diagnose and track inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. It also helps distinguish these from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which usually doesn't raise calprotectin levels.
Who Would Benefit from Testing Their Calprotectin Levels (in feces)?
Individuals experiencing symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, such as chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained weight loss, would benefit from fecal calprotectin testing. It’s particularly useful for diagnosing and monitoring inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and for distinguishing these conditions from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which typically does not elevate calprotectin levels.
What is the Difference Between Calprotectin in Blood vs. Feces?
Calprotectin levels in the blood can indicate systemic inflammation and are not specific to the gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, fecal calprotectin specifically reflects inflammation in the intestines. Elevated fecal calprotectin is a more direct indicator of intestinal disorders, whereas blood levels may rise due to various inflammatory conditions throughout the body.
What Does It Mean If Your Fecal Calprotectin Is High?
Very high calprotectin levels are found, for example, in active chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases, invasive enteritis or extensive ulcerative colorectal carcinoma. People with chronic diffuse gastrointestinal diseases, food allergies or malabsorption instead show lower to moderately elevated levels.
What is the connection between calprotectin and the intestinal mucosa?
The connection between calprotectin and the intestinal mucosa lies in calprotectin’s role as a marker of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Here’s how they are connected:
Indicator of Inflammation: Calprotectin is released from white blood cells into the intestines during inflammation. Elevated levels of calprotectin in the feces are often a direct response to inflammation in the intestinal mucosa.
Detecting Intestinal Disorders: High calprotectin levels can indicate disorders that cause inflammation of the intestinal lining, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Monitoring Disease Activity: In patients with known intestinal disorders, measuring calprotectin helps assess the severity and activity of the disease. It can indicate whether the intestinal mucosa is inflamed and how effectively a treatment is working.
Test(s) that measure/test for Calprotectin
No tests measure this item yet. But please contact our team to make sure this is the case... Sometimes we do test items, but it is just not added to be displayed here :)
Trusted by over 10.000+ customers
“The home test was straightforward with easy to follow instructions. The test result was detailed and clear in its presentation. Also had the opport...”
Richard
“We looked at a lot of companies offering the same services but made the decision to go forward with get tested because the labs are based here in t...”
Natasha
“There are other providers out there, I have tried 3. Gettested was the fastest and the customer service was the best. I even received my test on th...”
Alan
“Absolutely perfect, results came after few days and finally after a lots of times visited GP, we finally know why my son has eczema - he is allergy...”
E
“I found them to be professional and not too long a wait for results. Helpful with any after questions. Will be using them again if need be. I highl...”
Eileen
“I really value my test and to see the results. It is a jungle when your health is online. So get accurate and precise knowledge is a gift, as it is...”
Des
Still not sure what you need?
Let our experienced team of nutritionists, medical experts, health coaches guide you.
EU
DE
DK
UK
FI
NL
NO
SV
