Plasma Haptoglobin Level as a Diagnostic Biomarker in Children with Ventricular Septal Defect

Background: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital cardiac defect, occurring in 30–60% of all neonates with congenital cardiovascular abnormalities. Haptoglobin is an acute phase protein with antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The current study aimed to explore the value of haptoglobin in the diagnosis of VSD.. Methods: This study was performed at Pediatric Cardiology Unit of Zagazig University Children’s Hospital on 72 children. Thirty-six children had VSD with or without Heart failure. Thirty-six children were healthy. Heart failure was classified according to the Modified Ross classification. Echocardiography was performed, and plasma haptoglobin levels were measured in all participants Results: Plasma haptoglobin level was reduced in VSD patients compared with controls (p value less than 0.001). Haptoglobin level was less in patients with VSD and heart failure compared with control group (p value less than 0.001). There was substantial inverse association between plasma haptoglobin and heart failure grades (r = -0.644, p value less than 0.001). The optimal haptoglobin cutoff for diagnosing VSD was ≤8.045 mg/dL, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.864, sensitivity of 80.6%, and specificity of 94.4%. Conclusion: Haptoglobin levels were consumed in VSD cases. A negative correlation was found between haptoglobin and severity of heart failure. Haptoglobin plasma level was 80.6 % sensitive and 94.4% specific in diagnosis of VSD.