Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), a syndrome of excessive loss of protein into the lumen of the GI tract, can be associated with a wide range of serious inflammatory diseases such as neoplasia and IBD as well as less severe disorders like food responsive diarrhea (FRD). Left untreated, PLE is often fatal.
In the January issue of JAVMA, Equilino, et. al., investigated the use of several blood biomarkers to differentiate PLE from FRD and their prognostic value. Evaluated was C-reactive protein (CRP), Calprotectin, cPLI, alpha1-PI, and S100A12.
In the differential diagnosis of PLE vs. FRD, CRP and alpha1-PI showed the most promise:
Survival outcome of PLE was NOT significantly influenced by serum albumin, total calcium, cobalamin, cPLI, alpha1-PI, or treatment. Calprotectin within the reference interval and S100A12 within the reference interval were negative prognostic indicators (P=0.04 and P=0.03 respectively). Moderately elevated CRP concentrations were significantly correlated with poor prognosis (P=0.004).