Fecal calprotectin in pediatric gastrointestinal diseases: Pros and cons

Table 5 The advantages (pros) and disadvantages (cons) of using fecal calprotectin in various pediatric gastrointestinal disorders

Aspect	Pros	Cons
Non-invasive	Well-tolerated by pediatric patients	Collection may be challenging in certain patients
Sensitive marker	Detects intestinal inflammation accurately	Elevated in various conditions, leading to potential false positives. Elevated levels can occur in non-gastrointestinal conditions. Limited utility in certain conditions like acute infectious gastroenteritis or functional ‎disorders ‎
Disease monitoring	Helps monitor disease activity and treatment response	Does not provide information on specific cause or location of inflammation
Early detection	Allows for early detection and intervention	Interpretation may vary depending on age. Variability in cutoff values across laboratories
Differentiation	Aids in differentiating between inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions	Limited specificity for diagnosis. Interpretation challenges requiring clinical expertise ‎
Cost-effective	Generally considered cost-effective for diagnosis and monitoring	Represents added cost for repeated testing