Mehrban Alireza, Hajikolaei Fatemeh Ahmadi, Karimi Mehdi, Khademi Reza, Ansari Akram, Qujeq Durdi, Hajian-Tilaki Karimollah, Monadi Mahmood
Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran.
Babol University of Medical Sciences (MUBabol), Babol, Iran.
Int J Emerg Med. 2024 Apr 2;17(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s12245-024-00619-z.
Given the limited specificity of D-dimer, there is a perceived need to discover a more precise marker for diagnosing individuals who are suspected of having pulmonary embolism (PE). In this study, by evaluating the increase in the serum level of Apelin-13 and D-dimer, we found valuable findings about Apelin-13, which can be suggested as an auxiliary and non-invasive diagnostic biomarker in individuals with suspected PE, based on the obtained results.
In this case-control study, 52 Iranian individuals were included, all of whom were suspected to have PE. These individuals were then divided into two groups based on the results of CT angiography, which is considered the gold standard imaging method for diagnosing PE. The two groups were patients with PE and patients without PE. Finally, the levels of certain markers in the serum were compared between the two groups.
The mean serum D-dimer levels in patients with PE were significantly elevated (p < 0.001) in comparison to those without PE (1102.47 to 456.2 ng/ml). Furthermore, the mean level of Apelin-13 was significantly higher in patients with PE (49.8 to 73.11 ng/L) (p < 0.001). The cutoff point of Apelin-13 has been calculated at 58.50 ng/ml, with 90.9% sensitivity and 90% specificity. The D-dimer cutoff point was 500 ng/ml, with 95.5% sensitivity and 43.3% specificity.
Based on the results of this study, the serum level of Apelin-13 can be used as a novel diagnostic and screening biomarker in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism.
鉴于D - 二聚体的特异性有限，人们认为有必要发现一种更精确的标志物来诊断疑似肺栓塞（PE）的个体。在本研究中，通过评估Apelin - 13和D - 二聚体血清水平的升高，我们发现了关于Apelin - 13的有价值的结果，基于所获得的结果，Apelin - 13可被建议作为疑似PE个体的辅助性和非侵入性诊断生物标志物。
在这项病例对照研究中，纳入了52名伊朗个体，他们均疑似患有PE。然后根据CT血管造影的结果将这些个体分为两组，CT血管造影被认为是诊断PE的金标准成像方法。这两组分别是PE患者和非PE患者。最后，比较两组血清中某些标志物的水平。
与非PE患者相比，PE患者的血清D - 二聚体平均水平显著升高（p < 0.001）（1102.47对456.2 ng/ml）。此外，PE患者的Apelin - 13平均水平显著更高（49.8对73.11 ng/L）（p < 0.001）。Apelin - 13的截断点计算为58.50 ng/ml，敏感性为90.9%，特异性为90%。D - 二聚体的截断点为500 ng/ml，敏感性为95.5%，特异性为43.3%。
基于本研究结果，Apelin - 13血清水平可作为肺血栓栓塞症患者的一种新型诊断和筛查生物标志物。
