ABSTRACT
Alpha 1 - antitrypsin [AAT], an acute phase protein of human serum, is eliminated in the feces in some intestinal disorders, especially diarrhea and its estimation has been used as a marker for protein loss. In this study, we have investigated the possibility of using the determination of fecal A AT in the differential diagnosis of microbial and non-microbial diarrhea, which is ordinarily done by stool culture. In this case-control study, fecal A AT concentration was estimated in children hospitalized in the Pediatric department of Hajar hospital, Shahrekord, Iran. Group 1 consisted of 30 children with microbial diarrhea. Group 2 consisted of 30 children with nonmicrobial diarrhea and the control group consisted of 30 children without diarrhea. Stool samples were collected from all children. Fecal samples were subjected to stool culture and examination. Fecal AAT was estimated using radial immunodiffusion technique. The mean fecal AAT concentration was 50.0 +/- 46.2 mg/dl in group 1, 25.8 +/- 38.3 mg/dl in group 2 and 1.1 +/- 3.4 mg/dl in the control group. There was a significant difference in fecal AAT values in case of diarrhea when compared with the control group. Fecal levels of AAT were significantly higher in microbial diarrhea than in non-micro bial diarrhea and levels in both were much higher than in controls. However, A AT levels were low in some individual microbial cases making this measurement unhelpful for differential diagnosis