Use of faecal immunochemical testing as an alternative to faecal calprotectin in children
This novel study compares FIT and faecal calprotectin tests in a paediatric population. The use of FIT for colorectal cancer screening and detection of adverse bowel pathology is well documented in adult patients but there is little published data on the use of FIT in children. Of consequence all patients with a FIT result of <4ug/g has normal pathology and results of >20ug/g was consistent with significant inflammation. This important study suggests that there is good correlation between FIT and Calprotectin results and that FIT has potential to be used to differentiate between functional bowel disease and gastrointestinal inflammation in children. FIT may be a useful diagnostic test in primary care to rule out pathology and triage referrals for children, as it is for adults.