Indicators of inflammatory process in stool in diagnostics and monitoring of inflammatory bowel diseases

In the recent decades the rapid development of the studies on new methods used in diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and monitoring the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases has been observed. To the diagnostics of gastrointestinal disorders new methods such as endoscopic capsule and imaging methods including magnetic resonance have been introduced. Markers of inflammation detected in stool play significant role in the diagnostics. To the best known belong calprotectine and lactoferrin, which are produced by neutral granulocytes. In the present review we have presented the clinical usefulness of detection in the stool of calprotectin, lectoferrin, S100A12 protein and pyruvate kinase. Clinical usefulness of these markers were used in diagnosis, assessment of the treatment results, disease relapse and mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel disease. Determination of fecal calprotectin and lactoferrin in the process of mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease are of particular value. Confirmation of these results in multicenter prospective trials will enable in the future to reduce the number of control colonoscopies, which in children are performer under general anesthesia.