Background: It is important to evaluate the activity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for the
treatment. Fecal Calprotectin has been shown to be excellent marker of intestinal inflammation
because it is simple, rapid, sensitive, specific, inexpensive and noninvasive to detect and monitor
intestinal inflammation.
Aim: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the role of fecal calprotectin in diagnosis
and assessment of activity of ulcerative colitis.
Methods: Prospective cross sectional study was conducted to involve thirty patients with UC and
five as control. The included patients attended the gastrointestinal endoscopy clinic of the
departments of internal medicine in AL-Quwayiyah General Hospital, Riadh, KSA. The study was
carried out for six months from August – 2015 to January – 2016. All patients underwent lower GI
fiberoptic endoscopy (proctosigmoidoscopy, ES450WE5- Fujinon and colonoscopy, EC 530WL-Fujinon) with multiple biopsies from each patient and sent to histopathology laboratory. The
patients’ disease activities were assessed according to Montreal classification and Mayo subscore.
Calprotectin was measured by enzyme linked immuno-sorbentassay (ELISA) method (Calprotectin
ELISA Kit, Immundiagnostik AG, Bensheim, Germany). CRP and ESR were measured in the
clinical laboratory, AL-Quwayiyah General Hospital, Riadh, KSA, based on the instructions provided
by the reagent manufacturer.
Results: Of the patients 25 presented by active UC ranging from mild to severe picture and 5
patients were in remission. According to endoscopic Mayo score: 5(16.67) showed Mayo score
0(remittent patients); 8(26.67%) showed Mayo score 1; 13(43.33%) showed Mayo score 2;
4(13.33%) showed Mayo score 3. The extent of UC according to Montreal classification was total
(extensive) colitis 6(24%); left-sided colitis, 12(48%); and proctitis, 7(28%). There was a high
significant difference in the fecal calprotectin concentration between the patients with active UC and
the patients with inactive UC (P < 0.001). The FC concentration was significantly greater in the
patients with inactive UC than in the controls (P < 0.001). As regard CRP and ESR; the patients
with active UC had higher levels of CRP and ESR than the patients with inactive UC and the
controls (P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference between the patients with inactive UC
and the controls Calprotectin had a good correlation with the disease activity that the concentration
was greater in severe cases than in moderate and mild cases and this difference was highly
statistically significant (P |
