Prognostic value of the IFABP marker in children with COVID-19

Аim - to study the prognostic value of the IFABP marker regarding the occurrence of symptoms of gastrointestinal tract damage and complicated course of COVID-19 in children. Materials and methods. We conducted a retrospective, cohort, observational study involving children with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, aged 0 to 18 years. Patients were divided into the main and control groups according to the course of the disease. The main group included 42 patients with complicated COVID-19, and the control group included 46 patients with uncomplicated disease. During the first day of hospitalization, blood serum was collected from 88 patients to determine the level of the IFABP biomarker by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The median with the interquartile interval was determined. To determine the difference in the indicators of the compared groups, the parametric Student's t-test, nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests were used. The Spearman rank correlation test was used to assess the relationship. An operating characteristic curve was constructed and the optimal threshold value of the marker was calculated using the Youden Index calculation method. Results. According to calculations, in patients of the control group, IFABP was observed at a level of 15.1±3.1 ng/ml, while in children of the main group the indicator was higher, amounting to 21.7±5.5 ng/ml. When conducting a study of the correlation of the IFABP biomarker with gastrointestinal symptoms and complicated course, a correlation relationship was found. According to the results of constructing the ROC curve, the optimal threshold value of the IFABP marker for predicting the risk of developing gastrointestinal symptoms in children with COVID-19 is 29.758 ng/ml. The optimal threshold value of the IFABP marker for predicting the risk of developing a complicated course of COVID-19 in children is 30.132 ng/ml. Conclusions. The IFABP marker has prognostic value for the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms and complicated course of COVID-19 in children. The optimal threshold value of the IFABP marker for predicting the risk of developing gastrointestinal symptoms and complicated course of COVID-19 in children is 29.758 ng/ml and 30.132 ng/ml, respectively. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee for all participants. Informed consent was obtained from patients. The authors declare no conflict of interest.