Skip to content
Intel Lab Diagnostics Dubai
Single Biomarker

Calprotectin Qualitative

Gut Inflammation Marker

Faecal calprotectin is a protein released by inflamed intestinal tissue. This stool test helps distinguish inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) without an invasive procedure.

STOOL24 HOURSNO FASTING
AEDAED250
  • Free home collection
  • Physician-reviewed report

24 Hours

Turnaround

Stool

Sample

About This Test

What the Calprotectin Qualitative test tells you

Calprotectin is a protein carried in large amounts by neutrophils, the white blood cells that rush to sites of inflammation. When the lining of the intestine becomes inflamed, neutrophils cross into the bowel and release calprotectin, which is stable enough to survive the journey through the gut and be measured in a stool sample. That biology is what makes it a direct window onto the intestinal wall without a camera.

Its main clinical value is separating inflammation from irritation. Loose stools, cramping, urgency and bloating are common to both inflammatory bowel disease, meaning Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to irritable bowel syndrome, yet the two are managed very differently. Calprotectin is typically raised when the bowel lining is genuinely inflamed and typically not raised in irritable bowel syndrome. That helps a doctor decide who needs a colonoscopy and who can be reassured and managed another way, which can spare someone an uncomfortable procedure they do not need.

This test is reported qualitatively at Intel Lab, meaning it indicates whether calprotectin is present at a level suggesting intestinal inflammation rather than giving a figure to track over time. It is not specific to any one disease: gut infections, anti-inflammatory painkillers and other causes of bowel inflammation raise it too. So it tells you that inflammation is there without naming its cause, and the result is one input into a picture that includes your symptoms, examination, blood tests and, where needed, endoscopy.

Sample type
Stool
Turnaround
24 Hours
Fasting
Not required
Best for
All ages
Why Get Tested?

Recommended to differentiate IBD from functional disorders like IBS, monitor disease activity in known IBD, and assess treatment response.

  • Telling IBD from IBS

    The commonest reason to test. Inflammation of the bowel lining raises calprotectin, while irritable bowel syndrome typically does not.

  • Avoiding unnecessary endoscopy

    A negative result in someone with low prior suspicion can spare an invasive procedure and support a different line of management.

  • Following known IBD

    In someone already diagnosed, the test reflects whether the bowel lining is quiet or actively inflamed, which symptoms alone do not always reveal.

  • A non-invasive stool test

    It reads inflammation directly from the gut using a sample you collect at home, with no bowel preparation and no sedation.

When This Test Is Ordered

Reasons your doctor may request the Calprotectin Qualitative test

Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.

  • Bowel symptoms

    • Diarrhoea or a change in bowel habit lasting more than a few weeks.
    • Abdominal pain with urgency, mucus, or unexplained weight loss.
    • Investigating a child or adult with unexplained anaemia alongside gut symptoms.

  • Telling IBD from IBS

    • Distinguishing inflammatory bowel disease from irritable bowel syndrome before deciding on colonoscopy.

  • Known inflammatory bowel disease

    • Monitoring disease activity in someone already diagnosed with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
    • Assessing whether treatment for inflammatory bowel disease has calmed the bowel lining.
Preparation
The short version
No prep needed.
  • Stool
  • Free home collection
  • No fasting
  • Results in 24 Hours
  1. 1
    Book any time

    No fasting window: pick any slot that suits you, online or on WhatsApp.

  2. 2
    We come to you

    A DHA-licensed nurse collects your sample at home or in the office: free home collection.

  3. 3
    Results in 24 Hours

    A physician-reviewed, easy-to-read report lands securely by WhatsApp and email.

Prep note
Physician reviewed

No fasting is needed and you can eat normally.

Collect a stool sample at home in the container provided, taking a portion from the passed stool and keeping it clear of urine and of water from the toilet bowl, since contamination makes the sample unusable. Postpone collection if you are menstruating or have obvious bleeding from haemorrhoids, as blood affects the result.

Tell your doctor if you have taken ibuprofen, diclofenac, aspirin or similar anti-inflammatory painkillers in the days before the test, or if you have recently had a stomach bug, because both can raise calprotectin without any bowel disease being present. Keep the sample cool and return it promptly.

Understanding Your Results

A Not Detected result means no calprotectin was found at the level this test reports. Significant inflammation of the bowel lining is then unlikely, which fits better with irritable bowel syndrome than with inflammatory bowel disease, although disease confined to the small intestine can still be missed. A Detected result means white cells have been crossing into the bowel and the lining is inflamed. Detected does not name a cause. Active Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis raise it, but so do gut infections, regular anti-inflammatory painkillers, coeliac disease, polyps and recent bleeding into the gut. Because the test is reported qualitatively, it shows presence rather than a figure you can track from visit to visit. Your doctor reads it alongside your symptoms, examination, blood tests and, where needed, endoscopy.

SmartReport

Calprotectin Qualitative

A Not Detected result means no calprotectin was found at the level this test reports. Significant inflammation of the bowel lining is then unlikely, which fits better with irritable bowel syndrome than with inflammatory bowel disease, although disease confined to the small intestine can still be missed. A Detected result means white cells have been crossing into the bowel and the lining is inflamed. Detected does not name a cause. Active Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis raise it, but so do gut infections, regular anti-inflammatory painkillers, coeliac disease, polyps and recent bleeding into the gut. Because the test is reported qualitatively, it shows presence rather than a figure you can track from visit to visit. Your doctor reads it alongside your symptoms, examination, blood tests and, where needed, endoscopy.

Not Detected

The target was not detected: a negative result.

Detected

The target was detected: a positive result. Please consult your physician.

This test is reported descriptively rather than on a numeric scale: each finding below explains what your report may say.

This information is for general education only and is not medical advice. Reference ranges can vary by laboratory, age, sex, and individual factors. Always consult your physician or doctor to interpret your results.

Reading a High or Low Result

  • What a higher result can point to

    • Active inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
    • Bacterial, viral or parasitic gastroenteritis, which inflames the bowel temporarily.
    • Regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers, which can irritate the intestinal lining.
    • Coeliac disease and other causes of damage to the lining of the small bowel.
    • Colorectal polyps or tumours, and inflammation of diverticula.
    • Recent bleeding into the gut, since blood carries neutrophils into the stool.

These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests: your doctor decides what it means for you.

Limitations & Safety

What this test cannot tell you

  • A raised result shows that inflammation is present but does not say what is causing it or where in the bowel it sits.
  • A result that is not raised makes significant bowel inflammation unlikely but does not entirely exclude it, particularly for disease confined to the small intestine.
  • Recent anti-inflammatory painkillers, a passing gut infection, or bleeding from any cause can raise the result without inflammatory bowel disease being present.
  • A low or negative result has no meaning of its own beyond the absence of detectable intestinal inflammation.

Risks of the blood draw

  • Mild bruising or brief soreness where the needle went in.
  • Occasional lightheadedness, which settles after a few minutes of rest.
  • Bleeding or infection at the site, which is rare with sterile single-use equipment.
Key Points
  • 1Calprotectin comes from white cells in the bowel wall, so it reflects inflammation in the gut itself rather than in the body generally.
  • 2Its main job is to help separate inflammatory bowel disease from irritable bowel syndrome.
  • 3A raised result points to inflammation but not to a specific diagnosis, and further assessment follows.
  • 4Painkillers, gut infections and bleeding can raise it independently of inflammatory bowel disease.
  • 5A negative result is reassuring and needs no further explanation in itself.
Related Tests
View all
Book in 60 seconds

Know your Calprotectin Qualitative.
No waiting room required.

A nurse comes to you, results land in 24 Hours, and a physician walks you through exactly what they mean.

AED250
Ask a clinician
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about the Calprotectin Qualitative test. Can't find what you're looking for?

Talk to our team→

No. It means the lining of your bowel is inflamed. Gut infections, anti-inflammatory painkillers, coeliac disease and other conditions do the same thing. Your doctor uses the result alongside your symptoms and other tests to decide whether endoscopy is the right next step.