Interpretation
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| FECAL ELASTASE IN µg/g stool | REMARKS |
|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| 200 - >500 | Normal |
|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| 100-200 | Moderate to mild exocrine pancreatic insufficiency|
|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| <100 | Severe exocrine pancreatic insufficiency |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note
1. False negative result may be observed in mild pancreatic insufficiency but has better sensitivity than
other tests
2. False positive results may be observed in certain nonpancreatic diseases such as Inflammatory
bowel disease, Chronic diarrhea, bacterial overgrowth or watery stool sample
3. The test is not specific for Chronic Pancreatitis and detects moderate to severe impairment of
pancreatic function from any cause
Comment
Pancreatic elastase-1 is a Pancreas specific protease in pancreatic juice. It remains undegraded during
intestinal transit and concentration in feces is five to six fold as compared to pancreatic juice. Its
measurement in feces has high sensitivity for detection of moderate and severe chronic pancreatitis in
adults. It has high sensitivity and high negative predictive value for discriminating between diarrhea of
pancreatic and nonpancreatic origin. It is considered the most suitable test to confirm pancreatic insufficiency
in screened Cystic Fibrosis infants older than 2 weeks. The test results remain unaffected by pancreatic
enzyme supplements.
Usage
· To diagnose or exclude pancreatic involvement in association with gastrointestinal symptoms e .g
abdominal pain, failure to thrive, maldigestion, etc.
· To diagnose or exclude exocrine pancreatic insufficiency caused by Chronic Pancreatitis, Diabetes
Mellitus, Cholelithiasis, Cystic Fibrosis, Pancreatic Cancer, Celiac disease etc
.