• Michael McFarlane, Samantha Chambers, Ahmad Malik, Bee Lee, Edmond Sung, Chuka Nwokolo, Norman Waugh, and Ramesh Arasaradnam.
• Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, Coventry, UK.
• BMJ Open. 2016 Jun 6; 6 (6): e011041.

ObjectivesA recent systematic review confirmed the usefulness of fecal calprotectin (FC) in distinguishing organic (inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)) from non-organic gastrointestinal disease (irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)). FC levels <50 μg/g have a negative predictive value >92% to exclude organic gastrointestinal (GI) disease. Levels >250 μg/g correlate with endoscopic IBD disease activity; sensitivity 90%. We aimed to determine clinical outcomes in intermediate raised FC results (50-250 μg/g).SettingPrimary care general practices in Coventry and Warwickshire, and 3 secondary care hospitals.Participants443 FC results in adults (>16 years old) were reviewed from July 2012 to October 2013. Clinical data was collected from hospital databases and general practitioners. Long-term clinical data was available in 41 patients (out of 48).Primary And Secondary Outcome MeasuresThe number of new diagnoses of IBD, IBS and other diagnoses for the intermediate group. The number referred and discharged from secondary care.ResultsA new IBD diagnosis was made in 19% (n=8) of intermediate results (1% of normal and 38% of raised results). 5% (n=2) of intermediate results had known IBD in remission. A new IBS diagnosis was made in 27% (n=11) of intermediate results, while 34% (n=14) remained undiagnosed, although 8 of these were not referred to secondary care.ConclusionsFC testing remains useful in aiding diagnosis of organic GI conditions. However, unlike negative and strongly positive FC results, intermediate FC results lead to a mixture of diagnoses. The OR of a new diagnosis of IBD for an intermediate result compared to normal FC result was 26.6, while an intermediate FC result gave an OR of 0.54 for a new IBS diagnosis compared to normal FC. For intermediate FC results, 1 in 3 patients remained in secondary care after 12 months with an OR of 3.6 compared to a normal FC result.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

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