Gastrointestinal tract symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and fever are frequent causes of visits to the pediatrician. The increasing prevalence of chronic gastrointestinal tract diseases, and the falling median age of their onset, indicate the need to identify new diagnostic methods that can differentiate inflammatory bowel diseases from other gastrointestinal tract conditions. A promising non-invasive and useful marker of intestinal inflammation is fecal calprotectin. The manuscript summarizes currently available information on the use of fecal calprotectin in the diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease in children. It also attempts to determine the effect of concentration on its course of action. Incorporating fecal calprotectin (FC) testing within the framework of primary medical care can decrease the number of children unnecessarily referred for endoscopic or radiologic examination. FC screening benefits patients by reducing any delay in diagnosis and avoiding unnecessary exposure to endoscopy, and benefits physicians by reducing pressure on endoscopy testing and assisting the decision. The present paper emphasizes the role of fecal calprotectin as a non-invasive marker for monitoring disease activity and efficacy of therapy, and predicting postoperative relapses, primarily in patients with IBD.

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