title: Faecal calprotectin concentrations in children with functional gastrointestinal disorders diagnosed according to the Pediatric Rome III criteria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if faecal calprotectin concentrations vary with different entities of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children (4-15 years) who were consecutively referred by general practitioners to four general paediatric outpatient clinics for the evaluation of recurrent abdominal pain were assessed according to a research protocol which included clinical examination, a minimum set of blood, urine and stool tests, and clinical reassessment after 6-9 months. The diagnoses of FGID were based on the parent version of the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 152 patients included, 142 children were diagnosed with FGID. Of these, 126 (89%) provided a stool specimen for quantification of calprotectin. The median calprotectin concentrations were at or lower than 16 mg/kg which was at the lower detection limit and there were no differences between the FGID subgroups. Nine children (7%) had slightly raised values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The faecal calprotectin concentration is within normal limits in FGID and does not vary with different FGID entities suggesting that bowel inflammation is not a significant part of the pathogenesis in FGID.
authors.affiliation: .Department of Pediatrics, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik Norway.Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik, Norway.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flagstad
authors.affiliation: .Department of Pediatrics, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik Norway.Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik, Norway.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helgeland
authors.affiliation: .Department of Pediatrics, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway.Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik Norway.Innlandet Hospital Trust, Gjøvik, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Markestad
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003938:Diagnostic Techniques, Digestive System; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D012008:Recurrence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex