Calprotectin Test
Take our quick and easy calprotectin stool test to check for inflammation in your gut.
Our calprotectin test is a simple stool test to check faecal calprotectin levels in your gut.
Order an at home test today, take your sample and then send it off to our UKAS-accredited lab partner and get your results and bespoke doctor’s report in just days.
Comes with our
- Results and doctor's report in 2 days or less
- Free, next-working day delivery
- Measures faecal calprotectin levels in the gut
£79.00
Personalise your Calprotectin Test
You may want to add to your test panel depending on your age, sex and any symptoms. You'll save money compared to buying the tests separately.
Dr Claire Merrifield
GP, PhD and our Medical Director
What you need to know about our Calprotectin Test
Dr Claire Merrifield
GP, PhD and our Medical Director
Bowel symptoms like bloating, stomach pain and diarrhoea are common and can really interfere with your life - our calprotectin test can help identify what's causing these symptoms.
It's often difficult to tell the difference between irritable bowel sundrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) based on symptoms alone, so guidelines recommend taking a calprotectin stool test to rule out inflammation.
Low calprotectin levels mean there's no gut inflammation and your symptoms are more likely to be caused by another condition such as IBS. If you have high calprotectin levels, then there may be inflammation in the bowel causing symptoms.
Your calprotectin test result will come with your actual calprotectin level, recommendations on how to interpret your level from one of our doctors and a formal lab report you can download to share with your doctor if necessary.
What do the calprotectin test results mean?
We interpret faeccal calprotectin levels as follows:
| Calprotectin level (µg) | Meaning |
| <50 | Normal - no gut inflammation |
| 50-250 | Borderline - possible mild gut inflammation. Recommend to repeat the calprotectin test in 2 weeks |
| >250 | High - likely gut inflammation |
What's tested in your Calprotectin Test?
- Faecal Calprotectin
The calprotectin test checks the level of calprotectin in your stool. Raised levels of calprotectin in the stool are a biomarker for gut inflammation.
Calprotectin is a protein released by white blood cells (mainly neutrophils) that has antimicrobial properties. Calprotectin therefore serves as a marker for white blood cell activity or inflammation. Measuring calprotectin levels in faeces has been shown to be a sensitive marker of gut inflammation.
Calprotectin is a biomarker of neutrophil activity in the gut and raised calprotectin levels can be caused by:
- inflammatory bowel disease - ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease
- bowel infection
- microscopic colitis
- diverticulitis
- H. pylori gastritis
- drugs - proton pump inhibitors and non-steroidal inflammatory drugs
- bowel cancer
- age - average calprotectin levels increase with age and some older individuals can have a raised faecal calprotectin level without a clear cause
Our diagnostic testing is carried out by The Doctors Laboratory (TDL), one of the largest laboratories in the UK. TDL test for both the NHS (e.g. University College Hospital London) and private providers such as ourselves and use the exact same testing platforms and procedures in either case.
But no test is perfect - there can always be "false positive" and "false negative" results. The calprotectin test is "quantitative" meaning that the result is a number. The number itself is accurate but a high calprotectin doesn't always mean there will be inflammation in the bowel. The value needs to be considered alongside other factors such as your medical history and any symptoms. Using a calprotectin cut-off value of 50µg/g, can exclude significant bowel inflammation with 99% certaintyref.
The symptoms of gut inflammation can include:
- diarrhoea
- blood in the stool
- stomach pain
- weight loss
Only a very small amount of stool is needed for an accurate calprotectin result. We use an ultra-modern calprotectin assay which can accurately quantify calprotectin from a small amount of stool scraped onto collection stick. This is the same collection device as used for qFIT tests for blood in the stool and means easy collection with minimal fuss.
Children under 18 years can use the test but will require supervision of an adult. If you have acute diarrhoea - e.g. gastroenteritis - a calprotectin test probably wont be very helpful.
If you're unsure if you should use this test panel, please contact us for advice.
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Selph Ltd, Reg. No. 12169438
124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX
