title: Plasma lactoferrin as a marker of infection in elderly individuals.
abstract: To assess lactoferrin as a marker of infection, plasma lactoferrin (LF) levels were determined in elderly in patients with infection and compared with age- and sex-matched healthy and hospital controls and young healthy blood donors. The median LF level in infection (800 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in healthy elderly living in old people's home (300 ng/mL) or elderly hospital controls (298 ng/mL) (p less than 0.01 in each case). Plasma LF correlated significantly with elastase alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor complex (EPIC) (Rs = 0.8, p less than 0.01) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (Rs = 0.45, p less than 0.02), but not with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or white blood cell counts. We conclude that plasma LF, like CRP and EPIC, is a marker of infection in elderly individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, Great Britain.
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Adeyemi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Anastasio
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Impallomeni
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hodgson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000097:blood*; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D008297:Male; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007781:Lactoferrin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase