The semi-quantitative calprotectin rapid test--is it useful in inflammatory bowel disease?

Aim: To assess the efficiency of the dosage of the semi-quantitative calprotectin rapid test in evaluating the activity of inflammatory bowel diseases. Material and methods: The prospective study included 87 patients with BII (50 with ulcerative colitis, 37 with Crohn disease) hospitalized between January  2011 - May 2012. The diagnosis was confirmed by colonoscopy and histological examination. Fecal calprotectin was measured by means of a semi-quantitative rapid test. Results: There were 50 patients with UC and 37 with BC. 96% of the UC patients were evaluated during the active disease. 21 of them had a severe episode of active disease, 16 had a moderate one, while 10 had a mild activity episode. The correlation between the calprotectin values and lesions localization was analyzed, without finding any statistical differences. The data have shown a very strong correlation between the severity of the active disease, assessed through the UCDAI (Mayo) score, and the calprotectin value. Patients with CD manifested a linear correlation between the severity of the active disease and the calprotectin value. Conclusions: The rapid test for assessing calprotectin could be a useful non-invasive marker in appreciating the severity of clinical and biological disease activity.