Optimal Result:
200 - 2000 ug/g.
The pancreatic elastase 1 fecal test is used to diagnose insufficiencies of the pancreas that result in diseases such as:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Pancreatic cancer
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Gallstones
- Diabetes, Type 1
- Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome
In many of these conditions, there is often diarrhea, weight loss, undigested food in the stool, and pain in the abdomen. If the condition continues for a longer period of time, then low bone density may be found.
This test is an excellent biomarker for how well the pancreas is working because the enzyme pancreatic elastase I is not broken down by what happens in the intestinal tract. The Elastase I protein is found concentrated in the stool, five times higher than what is found in pancreatic juice.
Sources:
- https://www.labcorp.com/test-menu/32666/pancreatic-elastase-fecal
- https://www.gdx.net/product/pancreatic-elastase-test-stool
- https://www.childrensmn.org/references/lab/urinestool/pancreatic-elastase-stool.pdf
- Lam KW, Leeds J. How to manage: patient with a low faecal elastase. Frontline Gastroenterol. 2019 Nov 15;12(1):67-73. doi: 10.1136/flgastro-2018-101171. PMID: 33489070; PMCID: PMC7802491. [L]
There are no problems recorded in medical literature for high levels of Pancreatic Elastase I.
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The lower the level of Pancreatic Elastase I is in the stool, the worse the pancreatic insufficiency is.
Doctors find that the following conditions are associated with low levels of pancreatic elastase I:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Pancreatic cancer
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Gallstones
- Diabetes, Type 1
- Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome
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If used routinely in gastrointestinal practice, an abnormal result will frequently occur but this cannot be assumed to mean that the person has PEI. This finding should prompt the clinician to arrange further investigations to identify whether there is evidence of primary PEI, secondary PEI or whether there is another reason why the Fel-1 level is low.
A low Pancreatic Elastase 1 may indicate that the cause of symptoms may be due to a pancreatic cause and should prompt further investigations to identify this rather than only treat with PERT.
Making a diagnosis of PEI requires more than a single abnormal Fel-1 level and includes assessment of the patients’ symptoms, nutritional status, risk factors for pancreatic disease, endocrine function and structural imaging. Early diagnosis is important as treatment with PERT alleviates symptoms, improves quality of life and helps prevent long-term complications related to fat malabsorption.
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How to increase Pancreatic Elastase?
If you are diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, there are treatments that can help manage your condition. Treatment usually includes dietary changes, medicines to manage pain, and/or pancreatic enzyme supplements you can take with each meal. Your provider may also recommend that you give up drinking alcohol and smoking.
Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency Management
It is important to treat the underlying cause of PEI, and these treatments will vary depending on the cause. However, there are options available that make it easier for the body to break down and absorb nutrients, which can help reduce the steatorrhea and nutritional deficiencies that PEI causes.
Lifestyle Changes
Eat multiple, small meals spaced throughout the day, rather than one or two large meals. It is easier for your small intestine to absorb nutrients when there isn’t as much food to digest at once. Fatty foods can worsen steatorrhea, but it is still important to consume enough fat for necessary bodily functions and because fats are required to absorb certain vitamins. Just ensure that it is primarily from either plant sources – such as nuts, seeds, or olives – or from fatty fish, rather than from processed foods or red meat. And while fibre is good for gut health, for many individuals with PEI it is better to keep fibre intake low, as this can make digestion easier. Underweight individuals will need to focus on high-calorie foods, to get enough energy for optimal health. If you have PEI, it is a good idea to consult with a registered dietitian, who can work with you to establish a meal plan tailored to your lifestyle, that maximizes the nutritional quality of what you eat, and reverses any nutritional deficiencies.
Blood tests allow your physician to analyze levels of different micronutrients in your blood and then recommend supplements to help bring these levels back to normal.
Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, as these products can be damaging to the pancreas, especially in those who have PEI from chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer.
Enzyme Therapy
The most effective treatment for PEI is pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), which involves taking a medication called pancrelipase to provide the body with enzymes that break down fats and proteins. Those with PEI must take PERT with each meal or snack that contains fat and/or protein. When you consume PERT with food, it duplicates the normal digestive process because the enzymes mix with the food and help you absorb more nutrition from the food and supplements that you consume.
You will need to work with your healthcare team to establish dosage for PERT. The amount of enzymes needed varies from person-to-person and meal-to-meal, with large, fatty meals requiring more enzymes than small, low-fat meals. PERT is a safe treatment, without any known serious side effects.
Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency Outlook
With pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy and some changes to dietary adjustments, you can manage symptoms of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. However, it is most important to work with your healthcare team to treat the underlying cause of PEI.
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See your lab reports in clear graphs and tables. Spot patterns, track changes, and compare results over time — all in one place.
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After collecting lab results from different providers, you can download your entire history combined into a single file.
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Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
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If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.
It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.
If you're on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.
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There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."
Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.
For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.
We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.
Our Data Entry Service is for when you don't want to manually type in your lab results yourself. You simply upload your report (PDF, image, or screenshot), and our trained team enters the information into your Healthmatters account for you — accurately and neatly organized, ready to view in graphs, tables, and timelines.
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Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.
Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.
We've crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.
1. Graph View:Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.
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Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.
Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.
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