title: Plasma Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Level as a Predictor of the Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia.
abstract: Monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 increases in the serum of immunocompetent patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, the correlation between the circulating level of MCP-1 and severity of CAP remains unclear. This study investigated differential changes in the plasma MCP-1 levels of patients with CAP before and after an antibiotic treatment and further analyzes the association between the CAP severity and MCP-1 levels. We measured the plasma MCP-1 levels of 137 patients with CAP and 74 healthy controls by using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Upon initial hospitalization, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II); confusion, urea level, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age of >64 years (CURB-65); and pneumonia severity index (PSI) scores were determined for assessing the CAP severity in these patients. The antibiotic treatment reduced the number of white blood cells (WBCs) and neutrophils as well as the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) and MCP-1. The plasma MCP-1 level, but not the CRP level or WBC count, correlated with the CAP severity according to the PSI (r = 0.509, p < 0.001), CURB-65 (r = 0.468, p < 0.001), and APACHE II (r = 0.360, p < 0.001) scores. We concluded that MCP-1 levels act in the development of CAP and are involved in the severity of CAP.
authors: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan. khun1110@ms42.hinet.net.|Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Puli Christian Hospital, Puli Township, Nantou 54546, Taiwan. khun1110@ms42.hinet.net.
authors: Kok-Khun
authors: KK
authors: Yong
authors: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan. m102094030@tmu.edu.tw.|School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan. m102094030@tmu.edu.tw.
authors: Jer-Hwa
authors: JH
authors: Chang
authors: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan. mhchien1976@gmail.com.|Department of Medical Education and Research, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan. mhchien1976@gmail.com.
authors: Ming-Hsien
authors: MH
authors: Chien
authors: Institute of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan. tsmhwy@ms24.hinet.net.|Division of Chest, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan. tsmhwy@ms24.hinet.net.
authors: Shih-Ming
authors: SM
authors: Tsao
authors: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan. yutbc@tmu.edu.tw.|School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan. yutbc@tmu.edu.tw.
authors: Ming-Chih
authors: MC
authors: Yu
authors: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan. bkj@tmu.edu.tw.|School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan. bkj@tmu.edu.tw.
authors: Kuan-Jen
authors: KJ
authors: Bai
authors: Institute of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan. his885889@gmail.com.|Division of Chest, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan. his885889@gmail.com.
authors: Thomas Chang-Yao
authors: TC
authors: Tsao
authors: Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan. ysf@csmu.edu.tw.|Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan. ysf@csmu.edu.tw.
authors: Shun-Fa
authors: SF
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: biochemical marker; community-acquired pneumonia; monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; pneumonia severity index