Background: These days, inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is growing more common. Its diagnosis relies on invasive techniques like colonoscopy and biopsy, and its activity is monitored by fecal calprotectin levels that have a low compliance rate, so there is a pressing need for a serum biomarker that is non-invasive, accepted, and accurate for diagnosing and monitoring IBD activity.
The aim of the work: The goal of our research is to study serum calprotectin as a candidate biomarker in IBD.
Methods: The study included 50 patients with IBD who were recruited from Ain Shams University Hospitals' Gastroenterology clinic. Sixty percent were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, with half in activity and the other half in remission, and 40% were diagnosed with Chron's disease, with half in activity and the other half in remission. A control group of 20 apparently healthy individuals comparable in age and sex were also included in the study. All subjects had their serum calprotectin tested by ELISA in addition to their ESR and CRP measurements.
Results: Serum calprotectin levels were significantly higher in patients with IBD than in controls and in clinically active patients than those in remission in both UC and CD groups. Although there was a positive association between serum calprotectin levels and CRP and ESR, serum calprotectin had a higher diagnostic value than CRP and ESR due to its higher sensitivity and specificity. Our findings demonstrated that serum calprotectin and platelet count had a direct relationship, while serum calprotectin and serum albumin and hemoglobin levels had an inverse relationship.
Conclusion: Serum calprotectin levels are raised and linked to clinical activity in IBD patients, implying that it could be utilised as a clinically useful indicator of disease activity.