title: Fecal calprotectin as a biomarker of intestinal graft versus host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: The diagnosis of gastrointestinal graft versus host disease (GI-GVHD) is based on clinical symptoms and histological findings. In clinical practice, it is often difficult to decide whether abdominal symptoms in an allogeneic transplant recipient are caused by GVHD or other disorders. Endoscopic biopsies are helpful in establishing the diagnosis, but endoscopy is not always possible to perform due to poor general condition of the patients. No biomarkers are routinely used to predict GVHD. The aim of fecal calprotectin and alpha-1 antitrypsin testing in our study was to find out whether determination of the concentrations of these proteins may be used as a screening method for enteric GVHD. We studied prospectively 51 patients, 8 of whom developed GI-GVHD. Our data demonstrate that elevated fecal calprotectin levels were significantly associated with presence of GI-GVHD. We found a positive association between high F-calprotectin and severe gastrointestinal GVHD. In bivariate analysis, only calprotectin but not alpha-1 antitrypsin was independently associated with GI-GVHD. Testing for fecal calprotectin after allogeneic stem cell transplantation may be a useful screening tool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fryderyk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biosciences, Clinical Chemistry, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marklund
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mårten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palmqvist
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine at Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, and Hematology Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn Engelbrekt
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Wahlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wahlin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D064591:Allografts; D005243:Feces; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex