Correlation between Fecal Calprotectin Levels in Meconium and Vitamin D Levels in Cord Blood: Association with Intestinal Distress

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the correlation between vitamin D status in cord blood and fecal calprotectin concentrations in meconium, and also find their association with intestinal distress symptoms during the first two weeks of life. Two hundred and twenty-eight newborns were enrolled in the study who were delivered at Kyungpook National University Children’s Hospital between July 2016 and August 2017. The first passed meconium samples were collected for fecal calprotectin analysis. Intestinal distress involved infants with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and other feeding interruption signs. The median gestational age of the population was 37.0 (34.3–38.4) weeks, and the median birth weight was 2635 (2100–3268) g. The median fecal calprotectin levels in meconium were 134.1 (55.6–403.2) μg/g (range: 11.5–2000 μg/g) and the median 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) concentrations in cord blood were 21.0 (15.5–28.8) ng/mL. Sixty infants (26.3%) had intestinal distress, including four patients (1.8%) diagnosed as having NEC. Higher fecal calprotectin concentrations (398.2 (131.8–900.2) μg/g vs. 105.6 (39.4–248.5) μg/g, p < 0.001) and lower 25-OHD levels (17.9 (12.8–22.1) ng/mL vs. 23.2 (17.2–33.0) ng/mL, p < 0.001) were found in infants with intestinal distress compared to infants without intestinal distress. The cut-off value was set at 359.8 μg/g with a sensitivity of 0.53 and a specificity of 0.82 for the development of intestinal distress in the first two weeks of life. Serum 25-OHD levels in cord blood were inversely correlated with fecal calprotectin concentrations in meconium.