Calprotectin: Clinical Applications in Pediatrics

Oscar R Herrera1, Michael L Christensen2, Richard A Helms2

  • 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, Memphis, Tennessee ; State of Tennessee Center of Excellence in Pediatric Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutics, Memphis, Tennessee.

Insights

Calprotectin is a valuable non-invasive biomarker for pediatric gastrointestinal inflammation. This review explores its use in various body fluids for monitoring inflammatory conditions in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Biomarker Research
  • Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

  • Calprotectin has emerged as a significant non-invasive biomarker for gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation over the last two decades.
  • This review focuses on the application of calprotectin in pediatric populations, examining its utility across various disease states.

Approach:

  • A comprehensive survey of published English-language studies on calprotectin in neonates, infants, children, and adolescents up to February 2014 was conducted.
  • The review discusses calprotectin's fundamental properties, including its characteristics, identification, presence in bodily fluids, and developmental aspects.
  • Evaluation of calprotectin's role in both GI and non-GI inflammatory conditions, with comparisons to existing serum markers, is presented.

Key Points:

  • Calprotectin concentrations in diverse body fluids can effectively monitor inflammation in pediatric patients.
  • The potential of calprotectin as a prospective marker for intestinal inflammation and readiness for feeding is explored.
  • Comparative analysis highlights calprotectin's performance against other available serum markers for inflammatory diseases.

Conclusions:

  • Calprotectin shows considerable promise as a monitoring tool in pediatric inflammatory conditions.
  • Further research is needed to establish calprotectin as a routine clinical tool for monitoring intestinal inflammation and guiding therapeutic interventions.
  • Prospective studies are essential to solidify calprotectin's role in clinical decision-making for pediatric GI health.

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