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Fecal calprotectin in healthy children aged 4-16 years
María Roca1, Ana Rodriguez Varela2, Eva Carvajal3
1Celiac Disease and Digestive Immunopathology Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, P.O. Box 46026, Valencia, Spain. maria_roca@iislafe.es.
Insights
Establishing reference values for fecal calprotectin (fCP) in children is crucial. This study provides median and 95th percentile fCP levels for healthy children aged 4-16 years, noting age-related variations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Clinical Chemistry
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Reference values for fecal calprotectin (fCP) in pediatric populations remain incompletely defined.
- Accurate fCP reference ranges are essential for diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children.
- Previous studies have lacked sufficient sample sizes to establish reliable pediatric fCP values.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reference values for fecal calprotectin (fCP) in a large cohort of healthy children aged 4-16 years.
- To analyze the age-related behavior of fCP concentrations in this demographic.
- To determine if conclusive cut-off levels for fCP can be recommended for pediatric use.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study design was employed.
- fCP concentrations were measured in 212 healthy children aged 4-16 years.
- Statistical analysis was performed to identify associations between fCP levels and age.
Main Results:
- The median fCP concentration was 18.8 mg/kg, and the 95th percentile was 104.5 mg/kg in the studied healthy children.
- A statistically significant association was observed between the 95th percentile of fCP concentrations and age (p < 0.001).
- A nomogram for interpreting fCP results in children aged 4-16 years was developed.
Conclusions:
- The study provides proposed reference values and a nomogram for fecal calprotectin (fCP) in children aged 4-16 years.
- Age-dependent variations in fCP necessitate age-specific interpretation.
- Further research is needed to validate these proposed values in clinical practice.
Abstract:
Reference values of fecal calprotectin (fCP) have not been convincingly established in children. We aimed to investigate fCP concentrations in a larger population of healthy children aged 4-16 years to analyze more in depth the behavior of fCP in this age range and to determine if cut-off levels could be conclusively recommended. A prospective study was conducted to investigate fCP concentrations of healthy children aged 4-16 years. In 212 healthy children, the median and 95th percentile for fCP were 18.8 mg/kg and 104.5 mg/kg, respectively. We found a statistically significant association between the 95th percentile of fCP concentrations and age (p < 0.001). We propose a nomogram to facilitate the interpretation of fCP results in children aged 4-16 years. Further studies are required to validate the proposed values in clinical practice.
