Usefulness of Fecal Calprotectin in Differentiating Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Young Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disease group characterized by repeated remission and relapse periods of inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two most common clinical manifestations of IBD. However, IBD remains unclassified in 15-20% of pediatric patients owing to the overlapping features of CD and UC. Westernization in newly industrialized countries has increased the incidence and prevalence of IBD globally. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was found to be significantly associated with the subsequent incidence of IBD. The need for IBD screening in individuals with ASD was highlighted. Therefore, early diagnosis of IBD in pediatric settings is important. Herein, we report the clinical course of a young patient with ASD complicated by IBD.