laughingwithmycolon: What is Calprotectin… and why is it nice to know about it when you&rsquo
laughingwithmycolon: What is Calprotectin… and why is it nice to know about it when you’re an IBD patient? I decided to write about calprotectin when I did my stool test today because I think it’s a great thing to know about for every IBD patient and for everyone with undiagnosed bowel problems. Calprotectin is a protein that indicates inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (found in leukocytes especially granulocytes) that can be detected via stool test. Especially in active Crohn’s colitis and UC the calprotectin count is increased dramatically (normal is <50 and it can be 2000+ in some cases). It’s a great parameter to watch in addition to blood inflammation markers (like CRP) to decide whether you’re in stable remission or a flare up might be coming. There are some companies that have developed a home test kit for IBD patients (not available in my country right now) so that IBD patients are able to monitor their inflammation markers such as diabetes patients can self-monitor their blood sugar levels! Hello future of IBD! PRO: It’s easy and non invasive! You just have to take a little scoop of your (first) stool (of the day), put it into a stool tube your GI gave you and let the lab do the analysis. The calprotectin is stable for 7days within room temperature. Normal counts are found in: IBS, lactose/fructose intolerance, celiacs disease. In IBD it can give a hint on weather you need another colonoscopy to look for inflammation or if your symptoms are most likely not caused by inflammation/flare up. CON: It’s not specific for IBD. Elevated levels can be found in all kinds of GI inflammation/infection. If your GI never does this test it might be an option to ask for it! What are your experiences with the calprotectin stool test? -- source link
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