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High faecal calprotectin concentrations in newborn infants
F Campeotto1, M J Butel, N Kalach
1Hopital Cochin-Saint Vincent de Paul, 82, Avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75674 Paris Cedex 14, France. florence.campeotto@noos.fr
Insights
Newborns have elevated fecal calprotectin levels in the first days of life, exceeding adult reference ranges. The mode of infant feeding, whether standard formula, prebiotic formula, or breast milk, did not significantly alter these concentrations.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Gastroenterology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Calprotectin is a key protein in neutrophil granulocytes.
- Elevated fecal calprotectin is indicative of inflammatory bowel disease in adults and children.
- Neonatal calprotectin levels are generally higher than in adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify fecal calprotectin concentrations in newborns.
- To establish reference values for neonatal fecal calprotectin.
- To investigate the impact of feeding method (standard formula, prebiotic formula, breast milk) on neonatal calprotectin levels.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 69 healthy, full-term newborns.
- Categorization into three feeding groups: standard formula, prebiotic formula, and breast milk.
- Fecal calprotectin analysis using enzyme-linked immunoassay on day 4 postpartum.
Main Results:
- Median fecal calprotectin concentration was 167 micro g/g, significantly higher than adult reference values (50 micro g/g).
- Only three infants had concentrations below the adult upper reference limit.
- No significant differences in calprotectin levels were observed based on the feeding method.
Conclusions:
- Neonates exhibit higher fecal calprotectin concentrations in early life compared to adults.
- The method of infant feeding does not appear to substantially influence these early-life calprotectin levels.
Background:
Calprotectin, a major component of soluble cytosolic proteins in human neutrophil granulocytes, is excreted in excess in stools during inflammatory bowel disease in adults and children. Faecal calprotectin concentrations are also higher during the first year of life than in adults.
Objectives:
To measure faecal calprotectin concentrations in the neonatal period and define reference values according to the mode of feeding: standard infant formula, prebiotic infant formula (Calisma, Blédina SA, France), or breast feeding.
Patients And Methods:
A prospective study was carried out over three months in 69 full term, healthy newborns with a median gestational age of 39.8 weeks (range 37-41.5) and a birth weight of 3300 g (range 2600-4460). Three groups were formed depending on the mode of feeding: group 1 (n = 18) received a standard infant formula, group 2 (n = 19) the prebiotic infant formula, and group 3 (n = 32) was breast fed. One stool sample was taken from each newborn on day 4 (3-7), and faecal calprotectin analysed using a commercial enzyme linked immunoassay (Calprest, Eurospital, Italy).
Results:
Faecal calprotectin concentrations (median 167 micro g/g) were higher than reference values in healthy adults. The concentration was below the upper reference limit for adults (50 micro g/g) for three infants only, one fed the standard formula and two fed the prebiotic formula. Concentrations did not differ significantly according to method of feeding.
Conclusions:
Compared with healthy adults, newborns have high calprotectin concentrations in the first days of life. There is no obvious influence of the mode of feeding.
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