title: Plasma levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor are elevated in patients with severe sepsis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) as a marker of severity of systemic inflammation in patients with severe sepsis and critically ill postsurgical patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective observational study in consecutive patients with severe sepsis, critically ill nonseptic postsurgical patients, and healthy blood donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  19 patients with severe sepsis, 18 critically ill nonseptic postsurgical patients, and 10 healthy blood donors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MIF plasma levels of patients and participants were measured. Interleukin 6 plasma levels were monitored as a control marker of inflammation. The median MIF plasma level was four to five times higher in patients with severe sepsis (2.70 ng/ml, range 0.31-19.59) and in critically ill nonseptic postsurgical patients (2.43 ng/ml, range 0.49-4.31) than in healthy blood donors (0.56 ng/ml, range 0.16-1.68). MIF plasma levels did not differ between the patient groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MIF serves as a general marker for systemic inflammation in septic and nonseptic acute critical illness, but MIF does not discriminate for severity or differentiate between infectious and noninfectious origins of an acute critical illness.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie und Spezielle Intensivmedizin, Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany. lehmann@mailer.meb.uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Novender
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pietsch
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Spiegel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Putensen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoeft
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stüber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors