A RECENT study sheds new light on the use of fecal calprotectin (FC) testing to monitor ulcerative colitis (UC), highlighting the value of the fluorescent immunochromatography assay (FICA) method.
The researchers evaluated 110 patients with confirmed UC diagnoses and found that FC levels measured by FICA were significantly correlated with both clinical disease activity—assessed using the partial Mayo score—and endoscopic severity measured by UCEIS and MES. Specifically, the FC levels showed strong positive correlations with endoscopic markers (r = 0.751 for UCEIS; r = 0.635 for MES).
The study identified key cut-off values for FC to distinguish active disease: 57.38 µg/g for clinical activity and 53.30 µg/g for endoscopic activity. These findings support the role of FC as a reliable, non-invasive biomarker for disease monitoring and suggest FICA as a viable method for routine clinical use.
By helping clinicians better interpret FC values, this research may contribute to more accurate, timely adjustments in treatment for UC patients, potentially reducing the need for invasive procedures such as colonoscopy.
Reference
Xu M et al. The value of fecal calprotectin measured by fluorescent immunochromatography assay in evaluating clinical and endoscopic activity in ulcerative colitis. BMC Gastroenterol. 2025;DOI: 10.1186/s12876-025-04200-7
