title: Fecal calprotectin and elastase 1 determinations in patients with pancreatic diseases: a possible link between pancreatic insufficiency and intestinal inflammation.
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.
authors: Department of Digestive Diseases and Internal Medicine, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
authors: Raffaele
authors: R
authors: Pezzilli
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Barassi
authors: Antonio M
authors: AM
authors: Morselli-Labate
authors: Lorenzo
authors: L
authors: Fantini
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Tomassetti
authors: Davide
authors: D
authors: Campana
authors: Riccardo
authors: R
authors: Casadei
authors: Sergio
authors: S
authors: Finazzi
authors: Gianvico Melzi
authors: GM
authors: d'Eril
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Corinaldesi
mesh_terms: D000681:Amylases / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D005756:Gastritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; D000681:Amylases; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase