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Fecal calprotectin and elastase 1 determinations in patients with pancreatic diseases: a possible link between pancreatic insufficiency and intestinal inflammation

  • Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

Fecal calprotectin determination has been demonstrated to be useful in diagnosing various inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract; however, data available for patients with pancreatic diseases are scarce. Our aim was to assess fecal calprotectin in order to evaluate the presence of intestinal inflammation in patients with pancreatic disease.

Methods

Eligible patients with suspected pancreatic illness were enrolled, and in all of them fecal calprotectin and elastase-1, as well as serum amylase and lipase activities, were assayed using commercially available kits.

Results

A total of 90 subjects (47 men, 43 women, mean age 58.6 ± 14.9 years) were enrolled: 20 (22.2%) had chronic pancreatitis; 15 (16.7%) had pancreatic cancer; six (6.7%) had chronic nonpathological pancreatic hyperenzymemia; 16 (17.8%) had nonpancreatic diseases; and 23 (25.6%) had no detectable diseases. Diarrhea was present in 19 patients (21.1%). In univariate analyses, the presence of diarrhea and low fecal elastase-1 concentrations were significantly associated (P = 0.019 and P = 0.002, respectively) with abnormally high fecal calprotectin concentration, and the multivariate analysis demonstrated that low fecal elastase-1 concentration was the only variable independently associated with a high fecal calprotectin concentration.

Conclusions

Pancreatic insufficiency may cause intestinal inflammation, probably because of a modification of the intestinal ecology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Digestive Diseases and Internal Medicine, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy

    Raffaele Pezzilli, Antonio M. Morselli-Labate, Lorenzo Fantini, Paola Tomassetti, Davide Campana & Roberto Corinaldesi

  2. Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Alessandra Barassi & Gianvico Melzi d'Eril

  3. Department of Emergency, General and Transplant Surgery, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Riccardo Casadei

  4. Central Laboratory, Legnano Hospital, Legnano, Italy

    Sergio Finazzi

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  1. Raffaele Pezzilli
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  2. Alessandra Barassi
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  3. Antonio M. Morselli-Labate
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  4. Lorenzo Fantini
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Pezzilli, R., Barassi, A., Morselli-Labate, A. et al. Fecal calprotectin and elastase 1 determinations in patients with pancreatic diseases: a possible link between pancreatic insufficiency and intestinal inflammation. J Gastroenterol 42, 754–760 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-007-2086-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-007-2086-0

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