What is Fecal Calprotectin?
Fecal calprotectin is a simple stool test that measures inflammation in your intestines.
Calprotectin is a protein released by white blood cells when there is inflammation in your digestive tract. When your gut is inflamed, this protein ends up in your stool. The test is non-invasive—you simply provide a small stool sample at home or at the lab. It helps doctors tell the difference between inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and non-inflammatory conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Results are usually available within a few days, depending on the laboratory.
Understand Whether Your Symptoms May Be Caused by Inflammation
Fecal calprotectin provides useful information about inflammation in the digestive tract and can help guide the next step in your evaluation and treatment.
Assess Intestinal Inflammation
Helps determine whether abdominal pain or diarrhoea may be related to inflammation in the digestive tract.
Help Distinguish IBD from IBS
Supports the evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease and helps distinguish it from IBS, which does not typically involve intestinal inflammation.
Monitor Disease & Treatment
Can help monitor disease activity in patients with known IBD and assess whether current treatment is working effectively.
Your Doctor May Recommend It in Several Situations
How is the Test Performed?
Fecal calprotectin is non-invasive. No injection, blood draw, or endoscopy is required for the test itself. You only need to provide a small stool sample.
Receive the Collection Kit
You will be given a specific collection container or kit together with clear instructions.
Collect a Stool Sample
Collect a small fresh stool sample according to the instructions, taking care not to contaminate it with urine or toilet water.
Send It to the Laboratory
Follow the laboratory’s instructions for storage and delivery. Your laboratory may ask for the sample to be submitted promptly, often within a specified period.
Review the Result
Your doctor will interpret the calprotectin level together with your symptoms, medical history, and any other test results.
What Should You Know Before the Test?
You will receive a specific collection kit with clear instructions. Tell your doctor about any medicines you take regularly. NSAID painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac can sometimes increase fecal calprotectin levels. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without medical advice. Follow your laboratory’s instructions about how the sample should be stored and how quickly it should be submitted.
What Can Your Result Mean?
A fecal calprotectin result does not diagnose a specific condition by itself. Reference ranges can vary between laboratories, so the result should be interpreted in the context of your symptoms and other clinical information.
Normal or Low Level
A normal or low level suggests that significant active intestinal inflammation is less likely, making active IBD less likely as the cause of your symptoms.
Mildly Elevated Level
A mildly elevated level may occur with mild inflammation, infection, certain medicines, or other conditions. Your doctor may repeat the test or recommend further evaluation.
Highly Elevated Level
A high level suggests significant intestinal inflammation. Further tests such as endoscopy or colonoscopy may be recommended to identify the cause and plan treatment.
A High Calprotectin Level Does Not Automatically Mean IBD
Intestinal infections, certain medicines, and other inflammatory conditions can also raise fecal calprotectin. A single result therefore cannot confirm Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis on its own. Your doctor will interpret the result together with your symptoms and other investigations.
A Simple Test with Valuable Clinical Information
Fecal calprotectin is a simple, painless, and highly useful non-invasive test that gives your doctor valuable clues about inflammation inside your gut. It can help distinguish inflammatory from non-inflammatory bowel conditions, guide the need for further investigations, and monitor IBD and response to treatment. If your doctor has recommended the test, it is a simple and useful first step toward understanding your digestive health.