Abstract
To assess lactoferrin as a marker of infection, plasma lactoferrin (LF) levels were determined in elderly in patients with infection and compared with age- and sex-matched healthy and hospital controls and young healthy blood donors. The median LF level in infection (800 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in healthy elderly living in old people's home (300 ng/mL) or elderly hospital controls (298 ng/mL) (p less than 0.01 in each case). Plasma LF correlated significantly with elastase alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor complex (EPIC) (Rs = 0.8, p less than 0.01) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (Rs = 0.45, p less than 0.02), but not with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or white blood cell counts. We conclude that plasma LF, like CRP and EPIC, is a marker of infection in elderly individuals.
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