n. a marker of intestinal inflammation. Faecal calprotectin is a noninvasive screening test that measures the quantity of calprotectin in a stool sample. If the result is strongly positive the patient should be assessed by a gastroenterologist and considered for invasive investigation. Very high levels of faecal calprotectin are seen in inflammatory bowel disease. If the patient’s symptoms suggest a functional bowel disorder (such as irritable bowel syndrome) but there are no worrying (or ‘red flag’) symptoms and the faecal calprotectin is negative, the patient does not require a colonoscopy.
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