Lactoferrin (more precisely, lactotransferrin) is a protein (protein) found in granulocytes (immune defense cells). Lactoferrin belongs to the group of fecal inflammatory markers (fecal biomarkers). It is released in inflammatory bowel diseases and can then be detected in the stool.
The lactoferrin test is gaining importance in the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, especially in children and adolescents, because it is much less invasive compared with colonoscopy (colonoscopy).
The procedure
Material needed
- Chair
Preparation of the patient
- Not known
Disruptive factors
- Not known
Normal value
| Normal value in μg/ml | < 7,24 |
Indications
- Suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
- Course assessment of the above diseases
Interpretation
Interpretation of increased values
- Inflammatory processes in the intestine such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or diverticulitis (inflammation of mucosal bulges in the intestinal wall)
Interpretation of decreased values
- Not relevant to the disease
