I am 30 years old and had been having chronic constipation with stomach pain so I went to see my GI doc. I have always feared having crohn's from taking 3 coures of accutane when i was younger. He ordered a stool test for me. I got really sick with the stomach flu (pretty sure it was viral based on how it spread through my gfs family then to me) on a sunday evening and did the stool test a couple days later on Wednesday. My calprotectin came back very elevated at 997. I also take dicolfenac and omeprazole daily for back pain. Can these things cause my calprotectin to be elevated this high? Thanks!
Calprotectin of 997 from stomach flu?
- Thread starter mdr87
- Start date
Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:
crohnsinct
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2012
- Messages
- 6,342
NSAID has been known to raise fecal calprotectin in people. That said, I personally know of two kids who take NSAID's for arthritic issues and their FC counts are never that high. When my daughter had an FC of 1150 and took just a few Motrin's for headaches he asked us to discontinue any and all NSAID's and retest in two weeks.
Did you have diarrhea with the stomach bug. If so that is your likely culprit.
I think a rest from NSAID's and a retest in two weeks would probably be the approach your GI would take but just a mom of two kids with Crohn's and no medical degree here.
Do you have any symptoms? What prompted the FC test?
Did you have diarrhea with the stomach bug. If so that is your likely culprit.
I think a rest from NSAID's and a retest in two weeks would probably be the approach your GI would take but just a mom of two kids with Crohn's and no medical degree here.
Do you have any symptoms? What prompted the FC test?
I had been having chronic constipation with severe abdominal pain on and off for months. A couple years actually. My gi doc wanted to do the stool test to see what kind of bacteria were in my gut, if there was any fungus, and if there was any inflammation going on. I had severe diarrhea all night long when I had the stomach bug.
crohnsinct
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2012
- Messages
- 6,342
Those were my younger daughter's symptoms. Her disease is mostly in her small bowel and terminal ileum. I wouldn't freak out just yet about the FC result but I would definitely retest.
Good luck. I hope you get some fast answers.
Good luck. I hope you get some fast answers.
I'm going back to the doctors on March 30th. I'm assuming hell want to scope me or retest. What was York daughters level after stopping the motrin?
crohnsinct
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2012
- Messages
- 6,342
In the 700's. At that point the GI gave us a choice. Wait two months and retest or go straight to scopes. She chose scopes and she was dx'd that day with Crohn's and biopsies later confirmed it.
FWIW - FC can swing wildly from one day to the next. But in a case like my daughter's both results were so far above normal it was enough to suspect IBD.
Have you tried all the regular interventions for constipation? Cleaning up the diet, increasing fiber, fluids, exercise, squatty potty? We did that for years because my daughter had normal blood tests and no one suspected Crohn's. Even though her older sister had it.
It's a long road to figuring out this GI stuff. Good Luck!
FWIW - FC can swing wildly from one day to the next. But in a case like my daughter's both results were so far above normal it was enough to suspect IBD.
Have you tried all the regular interventions for constipation? Cleaning up the diet, increasing fiber, fluids, exercise, squatty potty? We did that for years because my daughter had normal blood tests and no one suspected Crohn's. Even though her older sister had it.
It's a long road to figuring out this GI stuff. Good Luck!
Dicolfenac is one of the harshest NSAIDs when it comes to both gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse side effects. Have you tried to get by with milder drugs to manage you back pain? Say naproxen, ibuprofen, or maybe even aspirin?
Whatever the case, I think a colonoscopy would be a really good idea for you.
Whatever the case, I think a colonoscopy would be a really good idea for you.
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2013
- Messages
- 6,703
My girls are on NSAIDs. My older daughter does not have IBD. We have checked her FC twice and both times it has been below 50.
My younger daughter does have IBD. When she is in remission (but still on NSAIDs for her arthritis), her FC is low - usually under 50, definitely under 100.
When her IBD is flaring, her FC will go up to nearly 500.
I would re-test because NSAIDs can definitely cause fecal calprotectin to go up. But if it's still high, I'd probably want a scope done.
If you need to stay on NSAIDs for whatever reason, we have found that there are some NSAIDs that are easier on the gut - Mobic and Celebrex for example.
My younger daughter does have IBD. When she is in remission (but still on NSAIDs for her arthritis), her FC is low - usually under 50, definitely under 100.
When her IBD is flaring, her FC will go up to nearly 500.
I would re-test because NSAIDs can definitely cause fecal calprotectin to go up. But if it's still high, I'd probably want a scope done.
If you need to stay on NSAIDs for whatever reason, we have found that there are some NSAIDs that are easier on the gut - Mobic and Celebrex for example.
