Serial semi-quantitative measurement of fecal calprotectin in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission

AbstractBackground: Fecal calprotectin (FC) correlates with clinical and endoscopic activity in ulcerative colitis (UC), and it is a good predictor of relapse. However, its use in clinical practice is constrained by the need for the patient to deliver stool samples, and for their handling and processing in the laboratory. The availability of hand held devices might spread the use of FC in clinical practice.Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of a rapid semi-quantitative test of FC in predicting relapse in patients with UC in remission.Materials and methods: Prospective, multicenter study that included UC patients in clinical remission for ≥6 months on maintenance treatment with mesalamine. Patients were evaluated clinically and semi-quantitative FC was measured using a monoclonal immunochromatography rapid test at baseline and every three months until relapse or 12 months of follow-up.Results: One hundred and ninety-one patients had at least one determination of FC. At the end of follow-up, 33 patients...