Forty-seven patients with CF were enrolled in this study. The fecal calprotectin levels were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. In a randomized systematic method, the children were divided into two groups - one group received probiotic powder and another received placebo for four weeks. After this period, fecal calprotectin was re-measured.
Thirty-one of 47 enrolled patients (65.9%) had abnormal fecal calprotectin levels (>50 g/g). After the intervention, the fecal calprotectin levels decreased in 29 patients (21 patients in the drug group, and only 8 patients in the placebo group; p<0.001).
This study showed that about two-thirds of patients with CF had intestinal inflammation based on fecal calprotectin levels. Probiotic administration was shown to decrease calprotectin concentrations and subsequently intestinal inflammation in CF patients.
Keywords : cystic fibrosis, calprotectin, probiotics.