Faecal calprotectin in colonic diverticular disease: a case-control study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Limited data exists on faecal calprotectin (FC) levels in colonic diverticular disease (DD).
• Understanding FC in DD is crucial for differentiating it from other gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess faecal calprotectin (FC) levels in patients with colonic diverticular disease (DD).
• To compare FC levels in DD with those in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and healthy controls.
• To evaluate FC levels in different stages of DD and monitor treatment response.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 48 patients with diagnosed DD (asymptomatic, symptomatic uncomplicated, acute uncomplicated diverticulitis), 16 healthy controls, and 16 IBS patients.
• Faecal calprotectin (FC) was measured using a semi-quantitative method and correlated with histological inflammation.
• FC levels were reassessed in symptomatic DD patients after 8 weeks of treatment.

Main Results:

• Faecal calprotectin (FC) levels were not elevated in healthy controls or IBS patients.
• Significantly higher FC values were observed in acute uncomplicated diverticulitis and symptomatic uncomplicated DD compared to controls and IBS patients.
• FC levels correlated with inflammatory infiltrate and decreased to normal values after treatment in symptomatic DD and acute diverticulitis.

Conclusions:

• Faecal calprotectin (FC) can serve as a valuable biomarker for detecting colonic inflammation in diverticular disease (DD).
• FC aids in distinguishing symptomatic DD from IBS.
• FC measurement is useful for assessing therapeutic response in DD.