Evidence of Intestinal Inflammation in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Small bowel mucosal pathology may be detected using CE in most of the patients with CF. The high fecal calprotectin levels found are suggestive of mucosal inflammation, which may correlate with the CE findings. Additional study is required to examine the possible relation of these mucosal lesions, which may be part of a newly identified enteropathy associated with CF, with persistent intestinal malabsorption in many of these patients.

The Cystic Fibrosis Intestine

“…A conventional endoscopic study showed that the CF duodenum was morphologically normal but there were increased levels of several inflammatory markers in biopsied tissue (Raia et al 2000). More recent work using video-equipped capsule endoscopy showed that morphological abnormalities including edema, erythema, mucosal breaks, and ulcerations occur in the jejunum and ileum in .60% of CF patients (Werlin et al 2010). That study also reported significant elevations of fecal calprotectin (a neutrophil secretory product) in many CF patients, consistent with intestinal inflammation.…”

Gastrointestinal transit times and motility in patients with cystic fibrosis

“…Pancreatic insufficiency is seen in about 80-85% of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients [1]. Though enzyme treatment dramatically improves the condition, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and severe obstructive conditions such as distal intestinal obstruction syndrome are common with great impact on patients' quality of life [2].…”

Comparison of three tests for faecal calprotectin in children and young adults: a retrospective monocentric study

“…The advantage of FC measurement is the stability in stool samples of up to 7 days at room temperature which makes stool collection and transportation simple and feasible 3. Increased FC concentrations have been found in several inflammatory gastrointestinal (GI) diseases including gastric cancer, colorectal cancer and colonic polyps, as well as in chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),3 allergic colitis,5 necrotising enterocolitis6 and cystic fibrosis 7. Increased FC concentrations can be considered as inflammation specific, but not disease specific.…”