title: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor-A potential diagnostic tool in severe burn injuries?
abstract: Serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and procalcitonin (PCT) concentrations as well as leucocyte numbers were evaluated in a retrospective study with 23 patients with severe burn injuries. The MIF and PCT concentrations as well as the number of leucocytes (LEU) were monitored over a period of 5 days. The total body surface area (TBSA) and sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were also evaluated. The MIF, PCT concentrations and leucocyte counts were profoundly increased in all patients with severe burn wounds. At the time of admission into the intensive care unit, no significant differences were observed for the MIF and PCT levels between patients with a TBSA<60% (Group 1) and patients with a TBSA>60% (Group 2). After 48 h, however, the MIF and PCT levels reached very high levels in a subgroup of the patients, whereas these levels became normal again in other subgroups. The group of patients with a TBSA>60% was, therefore, subdivided in three groups (subgroups 2a-c). The MIF and PCT data pairs in these subgroups appeared to correlate in an inhomogeneous manner. These levels in the subgroup 2a (i.e., lethal within 5 days) were strongly elevated over those observed in Group 1 (TBSA<60%) and highly increased concentrations of both MIF and PCT correlated with lethal outcome. The combined determination of MIF and PCT might, therefore, be useful to discriminate between post-burn inflammation and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis with lethal outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Hand and Burn Surgery, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerrit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grieb
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piatkowski
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bernhagen
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pallua
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002056:Burns / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide