Detection of inflammatory markers in stools from patients with irritable bowel syndrome and collagenous colitis

Objective. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and collagenous colitis (CC) share chronically recurring symptoms of altered bowel habits associated with abdominal pain or discomfort. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether inflammatory markers could be detected in faeces from patients with IBS and CC, and to elucidate whether such analyses could be used as non-invasive tools to distinguish between these disorders. Material and methods. Stool samples were obtained from 18 patients with CC, 46 patients with IBS and 20 healthy controls (HC). Eosinophil protein X (EPX), myeloperoxidase (MPO), tryptase, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 ) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF ) were measured in supernatants from processed faeces using immunoassays. Results. EPX levels were enhanced in faeces from CC patients (median 3.8 µg/g (0.47-16.2)) compared to patients with IBS (0.44 µg/g (0.25-1.8)), p