Original scientific paper
Fecal Calprotectin as a Biomarker of Food Allergy and Disease Severity in Children with Atopic Dermatitis without Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Alen Švigir
; Department of Pulmology, Allergology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Suzana Ljubojević Hadžavdić
; University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Renata Zrinski Topić
; Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Jasna Leniček Krleža
; Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Nives Pustišek
; Faculty of Medicine, University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Marta Navratil
; Department of Pulmology, Allergology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Fecal calprotectin (FCP) is a biomarker of intestinal inflammation
and has recently been proposed as a diagnostic biomarker of food
allergy (FA) in children. The aim of this study was to compare FCP level in
infants and children under 4 years old with 1) atopic dermatitis (AD) with
food allergy (FA) and 2) children with AD and without FA with the results
in healthy controls. In total, 46 infants and children (mean age 14 months
± 12) diagnosed with AD were divided into two groups: G1, children with
atopic AD with FA (n=28) and G2, children with AD without FA (n=18).
The control group (G3) was made up of healthy children of the same age
(n=18). The median FCP was significantly higher in G1 compared with G2
(G1: median 154, IQR 416 μg/g vs G2: median 41.3, IQR 59 μg/g; P=0.0096).
The median FCP in children with AD and FA was significantly higher before
elimination diet in comparison with FCP after 3 months of elimination
diet (median 154, IQR 416 μg/g vs median 35, IQR 23 μg/g; P=0.0039).
The level of FCP was significantly positively correlated with the SCORAD
score (r=0.5544, P=0.0022). Our study showed a significant difference
in level of FCP in patients with AD without FA compared with patients
with AD and FA. We also found a positive correlation of FCP with SCORAD
score, a biomarker of AD severity. New studies are needed to investigate
the role of FCP as a biomarker of FA in children with AD.
Keywords
allergy, atopic dermatitis, inflammatory disorders
Hrčak ID:
274677
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2021.
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