Plasma thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor as an indicator of inflammation and disease severity in acute pancreatitis.
OBJECTIVE
In addition to suppressing fibrinolysis, thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) was suggested to be involved in inflammation. To date, no study has been published that reports the role of TAFI in acute pancreatitis (AP). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the role of plasma TAFI as an indicator of inflammation in AP, and its association with disease severity.


METHODS
Plasma TAFI antigen levels quantitatively determined by using ELISA kits in 21 AP patients at onset and remission and 17 healthy controls. Associations of TAFI with inflammatory markers to determine AP and disease severity were assessed. To predict the severity of AP, modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) and computerized tomography severity index (CTSI) were used for each subject.


RESULTS
Plasma TAFI levels was higher in AP patients at onset of the disease compared with healthy controls. The disease severity according to mGPS was significantly correlated with TAFI levels. Overall, accuracy of TAFI in determining AP was 83.3% with a sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV of 80.9%, 85.7%, 81.8%, and 85% respectively (AUC: 0.915).


CONCLUSIONS
The present study for the first time demonstrated that TAFI is elevated in AP. The appraisal of TAFI levels in patients with AP in conjunction with other markers of inflammation may provide additional information in estimating AP severity.
Department of Gastroenterology, Turkiye Yuksek İhtisas Teaching and Research Hospital, Kızılay Sk. No: 2, 06100, Sıhhiye Ankara, Turkey. drabdurrahim@gmail.com
Abdurrahim
A
Sayilir
Yavuz
Y
Beyazit
Yusuf
Y
Yesil
Murat
M
Albayrak
Fuat
F
Ekiz
Tuğrul
T
Celik
Burak
B
Suvak
Serkan
S
Torun
Mehmet
M
Ibiş
D000208:Acute Disease; D025901:Carboxypeptidase B2 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D025901:Carboxypeptidase B2