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Fecal Calprotectin as a Potential Biomarker of Gastrointestinal Inflammation in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A
Ece Gültekin1, Abdullah Sert2, Meryem K Başaran3
1Pediatric Neurology, Biruni University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy show higher fecal calprotectin levels, indicating increased intestinal inflammation. This study highlights fecal calprotectin as a potential indicator of subclinical inflammation in cerebral palsy patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research
- Neurology and Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Fecal calprotectin indicates gastrointestinal inflammation due to neutrophil activity.
- Cerebral palsy (CP) may involve subclinical intestinal inflammation.
- Fecal calprotectin is a sensitive, specific, and cost-effective biomarker.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare fecal calprotectin levels in children with CP versus healthy children.
- To investigate the relationship between fecal calprotectin and CP.
- To assess fecal calprotectin as an indicator of intestinal inflammation in CP.
Main Methods:
- A 3-month cohort study included 25 children with CP and 27 healthy controls.
- Single fecal samples were collected and analyzed for calprotectin levels.
- Statistical analysis compared calprotectin, albumin, and total protein levels between groups.
Main Results:
- Fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in the CP group (p=0.01).
- Albumin (p=0.04) and total protein (p=0.01) levels were also elevated in children with CP.
- A fecal calprotectin cut-off of 23.5 μg/g showed 0.92 sensitivity and 0.96 specificity.
Conclusions:
- Elevated fecal calprotectin in children with CP suggests altered intestinal inflammatory activity.
- Fecal calprotectin may serve as an adjunctive indicator of subclinical intestinal inflammation in CP.
- While not diagnostic for CP, fecal calprotectin offers insights into gut health in this population.
Abstract:
The presence of calprotectin in feces may be a consequence of neutrophil migration into the gastrointestinal tissue thanks to an inflammatory process. Fecal calprotectin is a non-invasive, cost-effective, specific, and sensitive test used to compare fecal calprotectin concentrations between cerebral palsy children and healthy children and to investigate the relationship between fecal calprotectin levels and cerebral palsy.A total of 25 patients with cerebral palsy and 27 healthy children were included in the study. We conducted a 3-month cohort study following two groups of children. One stool sample was collected from each participant. Subjects provided a single fecal sample for calprotectin measurements. Fecal samples were frozen on receipt at -80°C for further analysis.Median fecal calprotectin levels were found to be statistically significantly higher in the cerebral palsy group than in the control group (p=0.01). Albumin levels in the cerebral palsy group were found to be statistically significantly higher than in the control group (p=0.04). Total protein levels were statistically significantly higher in the cerebral palsy group than in the control group (p=0.01). This study confirms the possible association between increased calprotectin and cerebral palsy disease. The cut-off point, determined as 23.5 μg/g based on fecal calprotectin levels, yielded a sensitivity value of 0.92 and a specificity value of 0.96.Children with cerebral palsy exhibit elevated fecal calprotectin levels compared to healthy peers, suggesting altered intestinal inflammatory activity. Although fecal calprotectin is not proposed as a diagnostic marker for cerebral palsy, it may serve as an adjunctive indicator of subclinical intestinal inflammation in this population.
