title: Random fecal alpha-1-antitrypsin concentration in children with gastrointestinal disease.
abstract: Random fecal alpha-1-antitrypsin concentration was measured in children with various gastrointestinal diseases and in normal subjects. One hundred fifteen subjects were evaluated: controls (39); chronic inflammatory bowel disease (20); chronic diarrhea (18); acute gastroenteritis (17); allergic gastroenteropathy (5); chronic pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (4); acute gastrointestinal bleeding (4); nonspecific colitis (4); celiac disease (3); and intestinal lymphangiectasia (1). Mean fecal-alpha-1-antitrypsin for the controls was 0.98 mg/g lyophilized stool. All children with celiac disease, allergic gastroenteropathy, lymphangiectasia, nonspecific colitis, acute gastrointestinal bleeding, and 19 of 20 patients with active chronic inflammatory bowel disease had fecal alpha-1-antitrypsin concentrations greater than 2.6 mg/g stool (mean of the controls + 2 SD). These disorders have all been previously documented to cause protein-losing enteropathy by 51Cr-labeled albumin excretion tests. The other study patients had normal fecal alpha-1-antitrypsin excretion when compared with controls. Serial fecal antitrypsin concentrations paralleled disease activity and clinical response to therapy. The results suggest that random fecal antitrypsin concentration is a valuable screening test for mucosal disorders associated with abnormal transmucosal serum protein loss.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011504:Protein-Losing Enteropathies / Q000378:metabolism*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin