Correlation between Fecal Calprotectin Level and Presence of Esophageal Varices in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Abstract Background Esophageal varices are a serious complication of portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy — the diagnostic gold standard — is invasive and resource-intensive. Fecal calprotectin, a neutrophil-derived marker of intestinal inflammation, has been proposed as a non-invasive marker of portal-hypertension-related gut changes. Aim To evaluate fecal calprotectin as a non-invasive predictor of the presence and severity of esophageal varices in patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis.