Biomarkers of Sepsis Severity: A Comparative Evaluation of Immunological and Biochemical Parameters

Background: Sepsis is a significant health concern characterized by high mortality rates, further complicated by diagnostic challenges and the absence of reliable prognostic biomarkers. Objective: To investigate the clinical value of specific immunological parameters along with liver and kidney function tests in individuals with sepsis and their relationship to disease severity. Materials and Methods: In this research, we included 300 participants (100 healthy individuals as the control group and 200 patients in the sepsis group, including 100 with non-severe sepsis and 100 with severe sepsis). Serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9), C-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CCL12), soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPARIII), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), creatinine (S-Cr), High-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), platelet counts (PLT), and the PaO2/FiO2 ratio were measured for each participant. Results: Our results showed significantly increased (P-value < 0.05) levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with non-severe sepsis and severe sepsis compared to the control group. The levels of CXCL9, CCL12, suPARIII, and MCP-1 were also significantly elevated in both non-severe sepsis and severe sepsis patients compared with the control group. Significantly higher levels of TSB, hs-CRP, and S-Cr were observed in the severe sepsis group compared to the control group. Conversely, platelet counts were markedly reduced in both non-severe and severe sepsis patients relative to controls. Conclusion: The study identified several critical immunological and biochemical markers that demonstrated a significant positive correlation with sepsis severity. Elevated levels of these immune response markers were consistently associated with more severe clinical presentations, underscoring their potential utility as early diagnostic and prognostic indicators in sepsis management.