Fecal calprotectin measurement is a marker of short-term clinical outcome and presence of mucosal healing in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Table 1 Patient characteristics according to clinical course

	Relapse (n = 47)	Remission (n = 102)	P
Age (in yr, mean ± SD, range)	43.9 ± 17.5 (17-76)	38.1 ± 14.6 (17-76)	NS
Male	28 (59.6%)	49 (48.0%)	0.078
Disease duration (in mo, mean ± SD, range)	95.1 ± 118.7 (1-560)	95.3 ± 162.0 (1-1415)	NS
Diagnosis
Crohn’s disease	38 (80.9%)	75 (73.5%)	NS
Ulcerative Colitis	9 (19.1%)	27 (26.5%)	NS
Disease location			NS
Ileal (L1)	16	22
Colonic (L2)	4	14
Ileocolonic (L3)	28	29
Perianal disease (p)	7	11
Proctitis	1	7
Left sided	3	8
Extensive	5	12
Extraintestinal manifestations	18	35	NS
Fecal calprotectin (in μg/g, median, IQR)	481 (286-600)	89 (36-180.8)	< 0.001
CRP (in yr, mean ± SD, range)	11.3 ± 10.1 (3.0-41.0)	5.1 ± 5.5 (3.1-42.0)	0.002
WBC (in thousands, mean ± SD, range)	8.9 ± 3.3 (3.4-18.2)	7.5 ± 2.4 (3.8-18.4)	0.022
Hgb (in g/dL, mean ± SD, range)	13.2 ± 1.9 (9.7-16.5)	13.6 ± 1.5 (10.0-16.4)	NS
PLT (in thousands, mean ± SD, range)	277.5 ± 99.5 (117-511)	256.0 ± 61.4 (103-450)	NS

Table 2 Cox regression analysis: Fecal calprotectin as predictor of disease flare

	Disease flare
	Univariate		Multivariate
	HR (95%CI)	P	HR (95%CI)	P
FC (HR per 100 μg/g)	1.212 (1.147-1.280)	< 0.001	1.745 (1.275-2.388)	0.001
Age (in yr)	1.018 (0.998-1.037)	0.055	0.973 (0.937-1.011)	NS
Gender (male vs female)	0.577 (0.322-1.033)	0.064	0.643 (0.151-2.749)	NS
Disease duration (in mo)	1.000 (0.998-1.002)	> 0.2
Disease (UC vs CD)	1.373(0.664-2.838)	> 0.2
Extraintestinal manifestations (none vs present)	1.085 (0.856-1.375)	> 0.2
Treatment at baseline	0.915 (0.650-1.287)	> 0.2
5-ASA	0.408 (0.125-1.331)	0.137	8.805 (0.753-102.913)	NS
Immunomodulators (AZA, 6-MP)	1.193 (0.575-2.474)	> 0.2
Anti-TNF	0.754 (0.391-1.455)	> 0.2
Previous Surgery for disease	1.494 (0.591-3.776)	> 0.2
CRP (HR per 1mg/dL)	1.062 (1.034-1.091)	< 0.001	1.010 (0.935-1.093)	NS
WBC (HR per 1000)	1.144 (1.028-1.273)	0.014	1.197 (1.001-1.432)	0.049
Hgb (HR per 1 g/dL)	0.887 (0.702-1.121)	> 0.2
PLT (HR per 1000)	1.003 (0.998-1.008)	> 0.2

FC: Fecal calprotectin; CD: Crohn’s disease; UC: Ulcerative colitis.