ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Gastritis consists of inflammation of the gastric mucosa and is one of the main causes of dyspeptic symptoms in children.
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the presence of inflammation by evaluating fecal calprotectin (FC) in children diagnosed with chronic gastritis.
DESIGN AND SETTING:
Descriptive study in Pediatric Gastroenterology Department of Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital in Turkey.
METHODS:
Between January 2016 and July 2018, FC levels were compared retrospectively in children with chronic gastritis (histopathology-based diagnosis), patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and healthy children.
RESULTS:
A total of 67 chronic gastritis patients (61.2% girls) with a mean age of 13.09 ± 3.5 years were evaluated. The mean FC levels were 153.4 μg/g in the chronic gastritis group, 589.7 μg/g in the IBD group and 43.8 μg/g in the healthy group. These levels were higher in chronic gastritis patients than in healthy individuals (P = 0.001) and higher in IBD patients than in the other two groups (P < 0.001). The FC level in the patients with chronic active gastritis (156.3 μg/g) was higher than in those with chronic inactive gastritis (150.95 μg/g) (P = 0.011). Among the patients with chronic active gastritis, the FC level was significantly higher in Helicobacter pylori-positive individuals than in negative individuals (P = 0.031).
CONCLUSION:
We confirmed the association between increased FC and chronic gastritis. Elevated FC levels may be seen in patients with chronic active gastritis. In order to be able to use FC as a screening tool for chronic gastritis, further studies in a larger study group are needed.
KEY WORDS (MeSH terms):
Child; Gastritis; Leukocyte L1 antigen complex
AUTHORS’ KEY WORDS:
Childhood; Chronic gastritis; Fecal calprotectin
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