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Fecal calprotectin level in healthy children aged less than 4 years in South Korea

2017; Wiley; Volume: 31; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/jcla.22113

1098-2825

Joo Young Song, Yoo Mi Lee, You Jin Choi, Su Jin Jeong,

Neonatal Respiratory Health Research

Background Fecal calprotectin (FC) is non‐invasive inflammatory marker indicating various bowel diseases. However, the median‐specific cut‐off values and the standard deviations (SD) of the FC levels in each age group <4 years were not elucidated. Methods Healthy volunteers were enrolled from four kindergartens. A questionnaire was used to confirm that the children met the inclusion criteria, and several demographics and history of bowel symptoms were collected. The FC level was measured. Results A total of 234 healthy children aged between 6 months and 4 years were recruited. The median FC concentration of all participants was 245 μg/g (range 12–1033 μg/g, mean 68.5 μg/g, SD 123.12 μg/g). The children were divided into six age groups. The upper limit of 95% CI of median FC values was 135 μg/g in 7–12 months group, 65 μg/g in 13–18 months group, 55 μg/g in 19–24 months group, 40 μg/g in 25–30 months group, 21 μg/g in 31–36 months group, and 12 μg/g in 37–48 months group. A negative correlation trend was found between the age and the FC concentration. Conclusion This is the first study to present the FC median levels in the specific age groups <4 years in Korea. We found a FC level reduction with age, indicating a bowel maturation process and decreased intestinal permeability of the intestinal mucosa. In our study, FC levels reached the values of 50 μg/g around the age of 2 years.