A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis

Objectives: Necrotizing enterocolitis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Various fecal, urinary, and serum biomarkers have all been investigated for their potential in the prediction and early detection of necrotizing enterocolitis. This pilot study aimed to expl...

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Main Authors: Sara Erol, Cuneyt Tayman, Sabriye Korkut, Ufuk Çakir, Abdullah Kurt, Ismail Koyuncu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Jornal de Pediatria
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021755725001184
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author Sara Erol
Cuneyt Tayman
Sabriye Korkut
Ufuk Çakir
Abdullah Kurt
Ismail Koyuncu
author_facet Sara Erol
Cuneyt Tayman
Sabriye Korkut
Ufuk Çakir
Abdullah Kurt
Ismail Koyuncu
author_sort Sara Erol
collection DOAJ
description Objectives: Necrotizing enterocolitis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Various fecal, urinary, and serum biomarkers have all been investigated for their potential in the prediction and early detection of necrotizing enterocolitis. This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical utility of measuring serum and fecal calprotectin levels in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis. Methods: This prospective pilot study included preterm infants born at < 32 weeks’ gestation with a birth weight of ≤ 1500 g, consisting of patients diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis stage II or III and a randomly selected control group without necrotizing enterocolitis. The relationship between serum and fecal calprotectin concentrations and necrotizing enterocolitis severity, need for surgical intervention, and mortality was systematically analyzed. Results: A total of 39 necrotizing enterocolitis patients (25 with stage II, 14 with stage III) and 20 randomly selected preterm infants were included as the control group. Serum and fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in necrotizing enterocolitis stage III and in infants who required surgery or died (p < 0.05), indicating their potential to predict disease severity and poor outcomes. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that dual assessment of serum and fecal calprotectin may provide insight into necrotizing enterocolitis severity and outcomes. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings and determine clinical applicability. Trial Registration: This study was registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov database under the registration number NCT06693154 on November 15, 2024.
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spelling doaj-art-a81fff524ef34742adf372c969adaafd2025-08-22T04:54:40ZengElsevierJornal de Pediatria0021-75572025-09-01101510142810.1016/j.jped.2025.101428A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitisSara Erol0Cuneyt Tayman1Sabriye Korkut2Ufuk Çakir3Abdullah Kurt4Ismail Koyuncu5Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; Corresponding author.Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyHarran University Faculty of Medicine, Medicinal Biochemisty, Sanliutfa, TurkeyObjectives: Necrotizing enterocolitis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Various fecal, urinary, and serum biomarkers have all been investigated for their potential in the prediction and early detection of necrotizing enterocolitis. This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility and clinical utility of measuring serum and fecal calprotectin levels in preterm infants with necrotizing enterocolitis. Methods: This prospective pilot study included preterm infants born at < 32 weeks’ gestation with a birth weight of ≤ 1500 g, consisting of patients diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis stage II or III and a randomly selected control group without necrotizing enterocolitis. The relationship between serum and fecal calprotectin concentrations and necrotizing enterocolitis severity, need for surgical intervention, and mortality was systematically analyzed. Results: A total of 39 necrotizing enterocolitis patients (25 with stage II, 14 with stage III) and 20 randomly selected preterm infants were included as the control group. Serum and fecal calprotectin levels were significantly higher in necrotizing enterocolitis stage III and in infants who required surgery or died (p < 0.05), indicating their potential to predict disease severity and poor outcomes. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that dual assessment of serum and fecal calprotectin may provide insight into necrotizing enterocolitis severity and outcomes. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings and determine clinical applicability. Trial Registration: This study was registered with the ClinicalTrials.gov database under the registration number NCT06693154 on November 15, 2024.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021755725001184Necrotizing enterocolitisPrematurityCalprotectinPrediction
spellingShingle Sara Erol
Cuneyt Tayman
Sabriye Korkut
Ufuk Çakir
Abdullah Kurt
Ismail Koyuncu
A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
Jornal de Pediatria
Necrotizing enterocolitis
Prematurity
Calprotectin
Prediction
title A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
title_full A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
title_fullStr A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
title_full_unstemmed A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
title_short A comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
title_sort comparative study of serum and fecal calprotectin levels in necrotizing enterocolitis
topic Necrotizing enterocolitis
Prematurity
Calprotectin
Prediction
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021755725001184
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