The Diagnostic Value of Presepsin in Acute Appendicitis and Reference Ranges for Healthy Children

Abstract

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of presepsin, a new inflammatory marker for paediatric appendicitis, and to determine a reference range of presepsin for children. Methods This single-center prospective study was conducted in our paediatric emergency department between 1 February 2021 and 1 July 2021. Patients aged 0–18 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis, which was pathologically confirmed, and healthy volunteers in the same age group were included in the study. Serum presepsin levels were analysed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reader. In addition to presepsin, other acute-phase reactants, paediatric appendicitis scores and imaging methods were evaluated. Results There were 94 patients in the acute appendicitis group and 102 healthy volunteers in the control group. Median values were compared between the two groups, and no statistically significant differences were found (p = 0.544). In addition, no statistically signivficant differences in presepsin levels were found between the acute and perforated appendicitis groups (p = 0.344). The median (IQ1–IQ3) reference range for presepsin in healthy children was 0.9950 (0.7575–1.610) ng/mL. Conclusion Presepsin is not a suitable marker for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. We observed that serum presepsin levels were not elevated in paediatric appendicitis, which is a local infection, in contrast to previous studies.