Human calprotectin as a novel biomarker in multiple sclerosis: Can it differentiate disease stages?

This study aims to investigate the relationship between serum calprotectin levels and different stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was designed as a prospective, cross-sectional case-control study. A total of 98 patients diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS and secondary progressive MS according to the 2017 McDonald criteria, along with 40 control patients whose human calprotectin levels were measured, were included in the study. The average age and human calprotectin levels in the patient group were found to be higher compared to the control group (P = .013 and P < .001, respectively). No significant differences were observed between groups for other parameters (P > .05). A higher frequency of the relapsing-remitting MS type was observed in patients with a high calprotectin cutoff value within the patient group (P = .035). Our study suggests the potential of serum calprotectin as a valuable biomarker in MS, both in aiding diagnosis and potentially distinguishing MS subtypes.