FECAL ALPHA-1-ANTITRYPSIN EXCRETION IN CHILDREN WITH DIARRHEA

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the concentration and immunoelectrophoretic characterization of alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) e xcreted in random fecal samples in children with acute and chronic dia rrhea and in control groups. Methods: Thirty-two children with diarrhe a and 23 healthy children were evaluated. The concentration and charac terization of AAT were determined by radial immunodiffusion and crosse d immunoelectrophoresis, respectively. Results: The increase in the co ncentration of fecal AAT was more than the upper limit for the control group (1.25 mg/g of dry stool mass) in the patients with chronic infe ctious diarrhea and in 52% of those with chronic non-infectious diarrh ea but not in those with acute diarrhea, infectious or non-infectious. Immunoelectrophoretic analysis showed two forms of fecal AAT in both sick and healthy children. The alterations in the concentration of fec al AAT did not correlate with the immunoelectrophoretic pattern of AAT . Conclusion: Our results suggest that the determination of fecal AAT could give clinically useful information about the difference between infectious and noninfectious diarrhea and the activity of characterizi ng disease with diarrhea.