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Normal Fecal Calprotectin?

My FC test came back not elevated. The gastro says since my FIT test and FC came back normal, there is no need for a colonoscopy. I am 42 and in Canada. I am worried about possible Crohns or something worse. How accurate are these tests, and should I be pushing for more? I feel like a colonoscopy is the only REAL way to rule things out!!!! Getting into specialists in Canada is terribly difficult & it’s super frustrating to hear, ‘I’m very confident that if I scoped you, I wouldn’t find anything’. Any thoughts???
 

crohnsinct

Well-known member
What are your symptoms? How are your other lab results? Crohn's shares symptoms with many other diseases and conditions. If the GI has ruled out Crohn's for now then are they willing to look for the cause of your symptoms?

Calprotectin is generally pretty reliable but there have been a few people on here who have had normal cal pro and blood labs but they still found inflammation on scopes. It is definitely not the norm but it has happened. Also, cal pro results can vary greatly from day to day. It is not unheard of to have a swing of 300 points one way or the other.

Did the GI give you the exact value? What are they considering normal? In studies they generally use a strict cut off of <50 but in practice some GI's will tolerate up to 150 before they consider colonoscopy. You could at a minimum ask for a retest in two months and see how that goes.
 

hawkeye

Moderator
Staff member
My GI (also in Canada) mentioned 50 and below is normal I.e. nonIBD and that 50 to 150 is the target for managed disease (or at least that was my takeaway). The other thing, depending on the length of time one has had the disease is the use of colonoscopy to look for precancerous polyps or dysplasia. I get a scope recommended every 3 years and fecal cal at 6 month intervals.

Fecal cal is sensitive to factors such as food poisoning and stomach bugs.
 
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