Calprotectin levels in stool

I've noticed some casual mentions of fecal calprotectin popping up in various threads lately...

The real question is, how much weight can we actually put on this test when it comes to proving intestinal inflammation?
Standard levels usually sit under 50—but I was sitting at a staggering 1,900. My doctor didn't even need to blink before telling me it was clearly inflammation and pointing toward Ulcerative Colitis. (To be fair, I had plenty of other symptoms, so it wasn't exactly a difficult diagnosis to make.)
This is important to me because I’m hoping to use this specific test to monitor my condition a few times a year. Ideally, it would save me from having to undergo those rather unpleasant colonoscopies all the time. If my numbers fall within the normal range—and assuming my bowel movements have returned to normal without any diarrhea or other obvious red flags—can I safely conclude that the inflammation has subsided or is at least in remission?
So, there you have it. I have Ulcerative Colitis.

Does anyone know where I can actually run this search? The CDC website isn't giving me any results at all—it's just useless—and Google keeps throwing nothing but private clinics at me. Is there seriously no way to find anything through the government portals? Honestly, I have no clue where else to even look.

It’s handled over at Cedars-Sinai, but you really ought to call ahead first... I've heard they run low on certain reagents needed for the testing sometimes. You can find the direct lines for the specific labs right on the hospital's website. Honestly, though, the last update I heard was months ago regarding when they actually order supplies for this specific test. Usually, you get the results back within a week if everything goes smoothly.

Christian Wilson28 said:Does anyone know where I can actually run this search? The CDC website isn't giving me any results at all—it's just useless—and Google keeps throwing nothing but private clinics at me. Is there seriously no way to find anything through the government portals? Honestly, I have no clue where else to even look.

I was at the Napa hospital; my results should be ready in about 3 or 4 days. It’s all based on a specialist's recommendation (my gastroenterologist)

I dropped off my sample at the Napa chemical lab today, right before heading over to the endocrinology clinic. They mentioned I should have the results by tomorrow or Monday. 👍 It actually caught me off guard, since their private labs usually quote up to ten days.

Calprotectin is a pretty solid indicator, but I doubt your doctor will swap out a colonoscopy for it—that’s still the gold standard for accuracy. You'd really have to clear that with them first. Also, the sample needs to be fresh or they can't process it right, so anyone dropping one off needs to keep that in mind. It's a bit of a pain here in the States since they usually only take samples until noon, maybe 1 PM if I remember correctly.