Clinico-diagnostic significance of inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, interleukin-6) in premature newborn infants

Purpose: to evaluate the diagnostic value of pro-inflammatory markers in extremely immature premature newborns with infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Materials and methods of the study: data from 49 newborns with extremely low and very low body weight (ELBW and VLBW) treated in the intensive care unit were retrospectively studied. Gestational age was 27 (26–28) weeks, birth weight was 950 (795–1185) grams. The levels of pro-inflammatory markers (c-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)) were assessed over the course of the neonatal period. Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalc, Statistica 10.0.

Study results: A significant difference was established in the levels of IL-6 (p < 0.001), CRP (p = 0.014), PCT (p = 0.030) on the 1st day of life in very premature newborns with infectious and inflammatory diseases compared to patients with respiratory distress syndrome. On days 3–10, the levels of CRP (p < 0.001) and PCT (p < 0.001) differed significantly. On 1st day, the level of IL-6 had the greatest diagnostic significance (AUC 0.949, sensitivity – 77.1 %, specificity – 98.9 %), on days 3–10 – the content of CRP and PCT. Conclusion: The study of pro-inflammatory indicators (CRP, PCT, IL-6) demonstrated the significance of these biomarkers in predicting and early detection of infectious and inflammatory diseases in extremely immature premature patients.

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