[Clinical significance of serum copeptin in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.].

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical significance of serum copeptin in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

METHODS

Sixty-two cases of hospitalized CAP including 32 males and 30 females with a mean age of (45 +/- 25) years were recruited from the respiratory wards in the affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University from March 2009 to June 2009. Sixteen healthy volunteers including 8 males and 8 females with a mean age of (41 +/- 23) years served as the control. The CAP patients were divided into 3 groups: grade I - III (n = 24), grade IV (n = 20) and grade V (n = 18) according to pneumonia severity index (PSI). Serum copeptin, blood routine, serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) were detected in the patients with CAP before and after the treatment as well as the volunteers in the control group. The difference of related data among 4 groups were compared. q test was adopted in the comparison between the groups, and group paired t test was adopted in the comparison between parameters before and after the treatment.

RESULTS

Serum copeptin concentration of the grade V patients [(0.91 +/- 0.16) microg/L] was significantly higher than those of thegrade IV patients [(0.56 +/- 0.11) microg/L], grade I - III patients [(0.34 +/- 0.06) microg/L] and the control group [(0.08 +/- 0.02) microg/L] before the treatment. Serum copeptin concentration of the grade V patients [(0.11 +/- 0.04) microg/L], grade IV patients [(0.13 +/- 0.05) microg/L], and grade I - III patients [(0.07 +/- 0.03) microg/L] after the treatment were significantly lower than those before the treatment. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and the total number of white blood cells of the patients with CAP were significantly higher than those of the control group before the treatment. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and total number of white blood cells of the patients with CAP were significantly decreased after the treatment. PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 of the grade V patients were significantly lower than those of the grade IV patients, grade I - III patients and the control group before the treatment, and were significantly increased after the treatment.

CONCLUSION

Serum copeptin could be used as an inflammatory marker for judging the treatment efficacy in patients with CAP.