Bulletin Nº65 - December 2015
IMMUNOLOGY - Fecal calprotectin as a marker of inflammatory bowel disease
The clinical suspicion of organic bowel disease motivates a diagnostic colonoscopy that generates a high rate of false positives, because the markers are not very specific. Next january, in Catlab, we will do Fecal Calprotectin (FCP), a protein found in the cytoplasm of neutrophils and in the membrane of activated monocytes and macrophages. The FCP is reliable in discriminating patients likely to suffer inflammatory bowel disease, and to detect endoscopic inflammatory activity. It is also useful to monitor response to treatment and predict the risk of recurrence.