What does the Fecal Lactoferrin test measure?

Why is Fecal Lactoferrin measured?

Fecal lactoferrin serves as a non-invasive indicator of active intestinal neutrophil infiltration and mucosal inflammation. It is particularly useful for distinguishing inflammatory bowel disease from functional gastrointestinal disorders, monitoring disease activity in established IBD, and triaging patients for invasive endoscopy. Its shorter half-life in stool compared to calprotectin means that lactoferrin may be more responsive to acute changes in inflammation, though this same property can also make it more vulnerable to pre-analytical degradation.

Reference ranges

Standard reference

<7.3 µg/g (Genova method-specific threshold).

Functional medicine optimal

Most laboratories define normal as <7.3 µg/g; values above this threshold indicate active intestinal inflammation and warrant further investigation or correlation with clinical and endoscopic findings.

Units

µg/g stool, mg/kg stool

Reference ranges vary by laboratory and assay platform. Interpret in context of the issuing laboratory's stated range.