Patient knowledge of fecal calprotectin in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): An observational study in Mexico

Abstract
Background: Fecal calprotectin (FC) can be a valuable tool to optimize health care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The objective of this observational study was to determine the level of knowledge of the FC test in Mexican patients with IBD.
Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was distributed via Facebook to patients with IBD. The survey consisted of 15 questions in two categories: the first category assessed knowledge of IBD diagnosis, and the second category assessed knowledge of the FC test.
Results: In total, 460 patients with IBD participated, of which 83.9% (386) had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 16.0% (74) had Crohn’s disease (CD). Regarding IBD diagnosis, 41.9% of participants stated that they did not know of a non-invasive test for fecal matter to identify inflammation of the colon. Regarding the FC test, 57.5% (UC) and 58.1% (CD) stated that they did not know about the test. Additionally, 65.8% (UC) and 51.3% (CD) of participants stated that they had never received the FC test and 82.6% (UC) and 77.0% (CD) recognized that the FC test was difficult to access in their medical practice. Furthermore, 66% (UC) and 52.7% (CD) of participants noted that their specialist doctor had never suggested the FC test to them, yet 89.1% (UC) and 87.8% (CD) stated that they would prefer FC analysis for their IBD follow-up assessments.
Conclusions: There is little knowledge of the FC biomarker among Mexican patients with IBD. This suggests the need for greater dissemination of its use and scope as a biomarker in IBD.

摘要
背景：粪便钙卫蛋白（Fecal calprotectin, FC）可作为优化炎症性肠病（Inflammatory Bowel Disease, IBD）患者医疗照护的有效工具。本观察性研究旨在评估墨西哥炎症性肠病患者对粪便钙卫蛋白检测的认知水平。
方法：通过Facebook平台向炎症性肠病患者发放自填式问卷。本次调查共包含15个问题，分为两类：第一类评估患者对炎症性肠病诊断相关知识的掌握情况，第二类评估患者对粪便钙卫蛋白检测的认知水平。
结果：共计460名炎症性肠病患者参与本研究，其中83.9%（386例）为溃疡性结肠炎（Ulcerative Colitis, UC）患者，16.0%（74例）为克罗恩病（Crohn’s Disease, CD）患者。关于炎症性肠病诊断，41.9%的参与者表示并不了解可用于检测结肠炎症的粪便无创检测手段。针对粪便钙卫蛋白检测，57.5%的溃疡性结肠炎患者与58.1%的克罗恩病患者表示对该检测一无所知；65.8%的溃疡性结肠炎患者与51.3%的克罗恩病患者称从未接受过粪便钙卫蛋白检测；82.6%的溃疡性结肠炎患者与77.0%的克罗恩病患者认为，在其就医过程中粪便钙卫蛋白检测难以获取。此外，66%的溃疡性结肠炎患者与52.7%的克罗恩病患者表示，其专科医师从未推荐过粪便钙卫蛋白检测；但89.1%的溃疡性结肠炎患者与87.8%的克罗恩病患者表示，他们更倾向于通过粪便钙卫蛋白分析进行炎症性肠病的随访评估。
结论：墨西哥炎症性肠病患者对粪便钙卫蛋白这一生物标志物的认知水平普遍较低。这提示临床亟需加强该生物标志物在炎症性肠病诊疗中的应用范围与价值的科普推广。