DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF FAECAL CALPROTECTIN IN PAEDIATRIC AGE

Key words: Faecal calprotectin, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Mucosal inflammation, Gastroenterology

Determination of the faecal calprotectin (FC), a leucocyte-derived protein, is becoming a valuable tool in paediatric clinical practice for the diagnosis and monitoring of several diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. FC is a sensitive, but not specific, marker to easily detect inflammation throughout the whole gastrointestinal tract. It may help in identifying an organic disease characterized by mucosal inflammation and in the differential diagnosis of functional bowel disorders. FC is increasingly used to monitor the efficacy of treatments in inflammatory bowel diseases and to assess the severity of mucosal inflammation.