The Diagnostic Value of Progranulin in Early Onset Sepsis in Preterm Neonates

Abstract Background Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in preterm Infants. It represents a deregulated host response to an infectious agent, resulting in multiple organ failure and long-term neurodevelopment delay. There is growing evidence that Progranulin is a promising biomarker in the early diagnosis of sepsis in neonates. Aim of the Work To assess the use of Progranulin as an early biomarker for detection of early onset sepsis in Preterm neonates and to detect whether Progranulin will provide us with earlier detection of EOS Than the usual used septic screen. Patients and Methods This was a case control study that was conducted in neonatal intensive care unit Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams university on 60 Neonates with early onset neonatal sepsis. Study groups were classified according to the blood culture into two groups: Group 1 (cases): 30 preterm neonates proved to have early onset sepsis with positive blood culture. Group 2 (control): 30 preterm neonates with negative blood culture. The study period was 6 months. Results PGRN levels were significantly elevated in the EARLY ONSET SEPSIS neonates compared with the levels in the non-EOS neonates (301.33 vs. 29.5 ng/ml (median), P < 0.001). Also, the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) showed that the best cut off point of PGRN (ng/mL) to detect Cases group was found to be > 50 with sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 100.0%. Conclusion Progranulin may can be used as a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of Early Onset Sepsis.