Dynamic changes of serum leptin, SAA and PCT in patients with acute pancreatitis and their clinical significance

Abstract

Objective To determine the dynamic changes of serum leptin, serum amyloid A (SAA) and procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with acute pancreatitis, and to investigate their clinical values in the early phase of acute pancreatitis. Methods Forty-two patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to our hospital between March 2012 and December 2012 were divided into two groups, including 32 of mild acute pancreatitis and 10 of severe acute pancreatitis. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was used to measure the serum levels of leptin, SAA and PCT at1, 3, 5, 7d after admission. Compared with 42 healthy controls, the differences in the indexes between the two groups were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of each index for acute pancreatitis. Results The levels of leptin, SAA and PCT were significantly higher in the patients with acute pancreatitis than those in the control group at different time points (P<0.01) , and the indexes in the SAP group were significantly higher than those in the MAP group (P<0.01) . The optimal cut-off values of leptin, SAA and PCT at the first day of admission were 25.45 μg/L, 594.35 mg/L and 3.585 μg/L, respectively. Based on the optimal cut-off value, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the three indexes were all above 70.00%. Conclusion The changes of serum leptin, SAA and PCT levels reflect the severity of acute pancreatitis, and show certain clinical significance for the early course of acute pancreatitis. Key words: Leptin; Serum amyloid A; Procalcitonin; Acute pancreatitis