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. 2024 Jul 7;14(1):15634.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65609-w.

Assessment of serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 in pediatric sepsis syndrome

Suzan Omar Mousa  1 , Mohamed Farouk Afifi  2 , Noha Anwar Hassuna  3 , Michael Fekry Yassa  2 , Hend Mohamed Moness  4
Affiliations

Assessment of serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 in pediatric sepsis syndrome

Suzan Omar Mousa et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its tissues and organs. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is an enzyme released in response to the drop in cholesterol level occurring in sepsis. Our study aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of serum Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) level in children with sepsis and severe sepsis. Sixty children were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: 30 children in the sepsis group and 30 in the severe sepsis group. Another 30 apparently healthy children were included as a control group. Blood samples were withdrawn from all included children for complete blood count (CBC), renal function tests (RFT), liver function tests (LFT), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), blood culture, and serum PCSK9. In this study, PCSK9 and LDL-C were higher in the two sepsis groups than in the control group (p < 0.05). They were also higher in the severe sepsis group than the sepsis group and in the non-survivors than in the survivors (p < 0.05). PCSK9 was positively correlated with length of hospital stay in surviving children (r = 0.67, p = 0.001) and had predicted significant hematological dysfunction (adjusted B = - 96.95, p = 0.03). In conclusion, the PCSK9 assay can be used as a biomarker for bad prognosis in children suffering from clinical sepsis.

Keywords: Innate immune response; LDL-cholesterol; PCSK9; Pediatric sepsis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Correlation between PCSK9 level and length of hospital stay.
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