title: Usefulness of plasma YKL-40 in management of community-acquired pneumonia severity in patients.
abstract: Plasma YKL-40 level has been reported as playing a significant role in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the correlation between plasma level of YKL-40 and the severity of CAP has not been reported. This study identifies the relationship between plasma level changes of the YKL-40 gene in adult patients hospitalized with CAP. The ELISA was used to measure the plasma YKL-40 level from 61 adult CAP patients before and after antibiotic treatment and from 60 healthy controls. The plasma YKL-40 levels were significantly increased in patients with CAP compared to normal controls. Moreover, the plasma concentration of YKL-40 correlated with the severity of CAP based on the pneumonia severity index (PSI) score (r = 0.630, p < 0.001), the CURB-65 (confusion, uremia, respiratory rate, BP, age 65 years) score (r = 0.640, p < 0.001), the Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (r = 0.539, p < 0.001) and length of hospital stay (r = 0.321, p = 0.011), respectively. In conclusion, plasma YKL-40 may play a role in the diagnosis and clinical assessment of CAP severity, which could potentially guide the development of treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan. cshy046@csh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pei-Ching
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Hsiu-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chao-Bin
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Shun-Fa
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood*; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines; C084533:CHI3L1 protein, human; D000071451:Chitinase-3-Like Protein 1; D037102:Lectins