Faecal calprotectin concentrations in children with functional gastrointestinal disorders diagnosed according to the Pediatric Rome III criteria

Objective: To determine if faecal calprotectin concentrations vary with different entities of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) in children. Methods: Children (4-15 years) who were consecutively referred by general practitioners to four general paediatric outpatient clinics for the evaluation of recurrent abdominal pain were assessed according to a research protocol which included clinical examination, a minimum set of blood, urine and stool tests, and clinical reassessment after 6-9 months. The diagnoses of FGID were based on the parent version of the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III. Results: Of the 152 patients included, 142 children were diagnosed with FGID. Of these, 126 (89%) provided a stool specimen for quantification of calprotectin. The median calprotectin concentrations were at or lower than 16 mg/kg which was at the lower detection limit and there were no differences between the FGID subgroups. Nine children (7%) had slightly raised values. Conclusion: The faecal calprotectin concentration is within normal limits in FGID and does not vary with different FGID entities suggesting that bowel inflammation is not a significant part of the pathogenesis in FGID.