BOWEL

Inflammation in the intestines often causes symptoms and reduced absorption of nutrients. People with inflammation often have abdominal pain in the form of cramping, watery diarrhea and report nausea. Intestinal inflammation can be caused by a bacterium or virus. If so, the inflammation usually goes away on its own. Inflammation can also be chronic. The symptoms may then keep recurring. With a test you can find out if you have an inflammation in your intestines. The amount of calprotectin is related to the number of inflammatory cells in the intestine. In chronic intestinal inflammation, the amount of calprotectin increases.