[Relationship between soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and severe pneumonia].
OBJECTIVE
It has been reported that soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) participates in many immune and inflammatory reactions. Its expression and role in severe pneumonia has not fully been understood. This study aimed to investigate the changes of sICAM-1 expression in severe pneumonia and the relationship between sICAM-1 and severe pneumonia in children.


METHODS
Serum sICAM-1 levels were determined by the double antibody sand using ELISA in 50 children with severe pneumonia and 56 children with mild pneumonia. Fifty-two healthy children served as control group.


RESULTS
Serum sICAM-1 levels in children with severe pneumonia (402.36 +/- 31.24 mu g/L) were remarkably higher than those in the mild pneumonia group (278.86 +/- 36.24 mu g/L) at the acute stage and higher than in the control group (180.74 +/- 21.46 mu g/L) (P < 0.01). Serum sICAM-1 levels in children with severe pneumonia decreased significantly at the recovery stage (198.56 +/- 12.63 mu g/L) (P < 0.01), which were not statistically different from those in the mild pneumonia group at the recovery stage and the control group. There were no significant differences in serum sICAM-1 levels among the severe pneumonia subgroups caused by different pathogens (bacteria, virus or Mycoplasma) at the acute stage. Serum sICAM-1 levels at the acute stage in children with severe pneumonia who were treated successfully were not significantly different from those in patients whose symptoms were partly improved.


CONCLUSIONS
sICAM-1 might be involved in the inflammation course of severe pneumonia. It can severe as a marker of the diagnosis and the severity evaluation of severe pneumonia.
Liu
Chun-Yi
CY
Bao'an Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. chunyi8@hotmail.com
Jin
Ping
P
Yang
Yan-Xia
YX
Liu
Hong-Xia
HX
Liu
Ya-Qiu
YQ
Xu
Jin-Ji
JJ
Huang
Wei-Dong
WD
Wang
Shi-Jun
SJ
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis
D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1