Stool Calprotectin

If fecal calprotectin is positive, it indicates intestinal inflammation rather than a functional disorder like IBS. This requires further evaluation: review medications (e.g., NSAIDs), consider repeating the test, and refer for stool cultures, blood tests and colonoscopy or imaging to differentiate IBD, infection, or other causes. Treatment and follow-up depend on the confirmed diagnosis and specialist guidance.

Calprotectin is primarily an inflammation marker—especially fecal calprotectin to detect intestinal inflammation and distinguish IBD from IBS. Though levels can be raised in infections, inflammatory conditions and sometimes in malignancies, calprotectin is not a specific or validated tumor marker and cannot diagnose cancer alone. It may have research or prognostic roles, but clinical use is as an inflammatory biomarker rather than a cancer-specific test.

A fecal calprotectin test measures calprotectin levels in stool to detect intestinal inflammation. It helps distinguish inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis) from non‑inflammatory conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, monitors disease activity and treatment response, and can reduce unnecessary invasive procedures. Elevated results indicate neutrophil-driven inflammation in the gut; low levels suggest a functional rather than inflammatory disorder.

Food alone rarely causes sustained high fecal calprotectin; this biomarker reflects neutrophil-driven intestinal inflammation. Some foods (very spicy or fatty), alcohol, and NSAID use may irritate the gut and cause transient increases or symptoms, but infections, inflammatory bowel disease, medications, recent procedures, and other pathology are more typical causes. Persistently elevated calprotectin warrants medical evaluation and further testing.

Inflammatory bowel disease arises from a mix of genetic predisposition and abnormal immune responses: the immune system mistakenly attacks intestinal tissue, often triggered by gut bacteria. Environmental factors—smoking, diet, certain medications, infections, and stress—can provoke or worsen inflammation. Changes in the gut microbiome and family history increase risk. Exact cause is unknown; it’s an interaction of genes, immunity, microbes and environment.

Stress itself doesn’t directly raise fecal calprotectin in healthy people, but chronic or severe stress can trigger gut inflammation, increase intestinal permeability, and provoke flares of inflammatory bowel disease, which are associated with higher calprotectin. Persistent GI symptoms or raised calprotectin should prompt stool testing and discussion with a healthcare provider to evaluate for IBD or other inflammatory causes.