Home kit
Faecal Calprotectin Test
Calprotectin in a stool sample, a marker that helps tell inflammation in the bowel apart from a sensitive but uninflamed gut.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 3 to 5 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
1 marker measured
Calprotectin (stool)
A white blood cell marker measured in a stool sample. A raised level may suggest active inflammation in the bowel, while a normal result is usual in irritable bowel syndrome and can help rule out inflammatory bowel disease. It supports a clinician's assessment rather than giving a diagnosis on its own.
Overview
Calprotectin is a stool marker that helps show whether the bowel wall is inflamed. NICE recommends it to help GPs tell inflammatory bowel disease apart from irritable bowel syndrome when cancer is not suspected. It cannot say what is causing inflammation on its own, and it is not a bowel cancer test.
Calprotectin is released by white blood cells into the gut when the bowel wall is inflamed, so it is measured in stool rather than blood. NICE recommends it to help GPs decide who needs further tests, such as a camera test, and who is more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome, where the bowel is sensitive but not inflamed. Anti-inflammatory painkillers and a recent stomach bug can both raise it, so a doctor reads the number with your history and symptoms.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Adults aged 18 and over
- Anyone wanting to check for bowel inflammation before a GP appointment
- People given an irritable bowel label they were never sure about
Who it isn’t for
- This is not a bowel cancer test. If hidden blood is the worry, the FIT Bowel Test measures that, and the Bowel Health Check covers both from one sample. A raised calprotectin also does not say where in the bowel the inflammation is or what is causing it, and a camera test is what answers that.
- Anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen can raise it, so tell the reviewing doctor if you take them. Blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss or a persistent change in bowel habit need a GP appointment whatever this result says. If loose stools or a change in bowel habit are new or have lasted more than a few weeks, see your GP first, who can decide which tests are right for you.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- Cramping or bloating that keeps coming back
- A previous label of irritable bowel syndrome you were never sure about
- Inflammatory bowel disease in a close relative
- Wanting evidence to take to a GP appointment
- A clinician has suggested checking calprotectin
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- Calprotectin (stool)▲ High
- Result
- 180 µg/g
- Range
- <50
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calprotectin (stool) | 180 | µg/g | <50 | ▲ High |
Doctor’s note (example)
Calprotectin is above the range, which points towards inflammation in the bowel rather than a sensitive but uninflamed one. Anti-inflammatory painkillers and a recent stomach bug both lift it, so a clinician would usually repeat it or refer for a camera test depending on your symptoms.
Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleA stool sample you collect at home, using the kit we post you
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 3 to 5 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Home stool kit
- Preparation
- No fasting required
- Who it's for
- Any sex · ages 18+
How to prepare
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
How do I collect the sample?
The kit contains a small collection device and clear step-by-step instructions. You need only a very small amount of stool, and the sample goes back in the prepaid envelope. Most people find it far less awkward than they expect.
Does it matter when I take the sample?
Yes. Avoid taking it while you have a stomach bug, and wait until you have fully recovered, because an infection can raise calprotectin. If you are unsure, ask us before you take the sample. Do not wait to get medical advice if your bowel symptoms are ongoing or getting worse.
What does a normal result mean?
A low calprotectin makes inflammation in the bowel unlikely, which points the conversation towards irritable bowel syndrome and how to manage it. It is reassuring rather than absolute, and symptoms that persist still deserve a GP's attention.
Do painkillers change the result?
Anti-inflammatory tablets such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin irritate the gut lining and can raise calprotectin on their own. Do not stop a medicine to take a test; instead tell us you take them, and the report reads the number with that in mind.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 3 to 5 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
This test uses a stool sample you collect at home, not a blood sample. The kit arrives by post with step-by-step instructions and what you need to send it back.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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