Measurement of faecal Calprotectin is considered a reliable indicator of inflammation and numerous studies show that while faecal Calprotectin concentrations are significantly elevated in patients with IBD, patients suffering from IBS do not have increased Calprotectin levels. Such increased levels are shown to correlate well with both endoscopic and histological assessment of disease activity.

The NHS Centre for Evidence-based Purchasing has conducted several reviews on calprotectin testing and its use in differentiating IBS and IBD. These reports conclude that using calprotectin assays supports improvements in patient management and offers substantial cost savings.

Faecal Calprotectin is used to help differentiate between IBS and IBD. It is also used to assess the efficacy of treatment and predict the risk of flare-ups in IBD patients.

Children often have slightly higher Calprotectin levels than adults.

So it is necessary to do CAl  detection  for early diagnosis.