Fecal Calprotectin Is Cost-Effective for IBD Screening

Calprotectin is a protein shed in the stool of patients with an inflamed bowel. Fecal calprotectin levels have been shown to correlate with healing in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), to predict relapse, and to differentiate patients with low and high risk for IBD before diagnosis.

In the current study, investigators constructed a decision analytic tree to compare the cost-effectiveness of measuring fecal calprotectin prior to initial diagnosis of IBD with direct endoscopic evaluation alone.

Screening for fecal calprotectin in adults saved $417 per patient but delayed the diagnosis of IBD for 2 of 32 patients with IBD among 100 screened patients. In children, fecal calprotectin screening saved $300 per patient but delayed the diagnosis for 5…