Background: Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit. Endocan is constitutively expressed by endothelial cells and high levels of endocan can be used as agood marker for neonatal sepsis.
Aims: the aim of this work was to evaluate the role of serum level of Endocan in diagnosis of late onset sepsis in both preterm and fullterm neonates.
Patients and Methods: This study had been carried out in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at AL Hussein University hospital during the period from January 2019 to May 2019. The study was conducted on 48 neonates who selected by simple random method and classified into four groups: 2 preterm groups (septic (as a case) and non-septic (as a control)) and 2 full-term groups (septic (as a case) and non-septic (as a control)): with post natal age > 3 days for all groups. Blood was collected from a peripheral vein of all septic newborns and healthy newborns at the time of initial laboratory evaluation before any treatment, and from septic groups within 48-72 hours after initiation of treatment. Serum endocan was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: Serum Endocan level were significantly higher in septic neonates at the time of admission in preterm cases which it was (231.77±99.46 ng/l) and in full-term cases it was (183.28±75.86 ng/l) in comparison with no septic neonates which the endocan level was (71.26±19.54ng/l) in preterm control group and it was (70.15±17.36 ng/l) in full term control group and Endocan were significantly decrease within 48-72 hours after initiation of treatment it was (142.99±67.41 ng/l) in preterm group and it was (100.86±52.27 ng/l) in full term group. In our study cutoff point of endocan level in preterm and full term neonates 97.428ng/l. with sensitivity 94% specificity 100%, positive predictive value 92.31% and negative predictive value 100%.
Conclusions: Serum level of Endocan were significantly higher in septic neonates(preterm and full-term) than no septic neonates (preterm and full-term), Serum level of endocan was higher at the time of initial laboratory evaluation then decreased after 48 – 72 hours after treatment in septic neonates so Serum Endocan can be used for diagnosis of late onset neonatal sepsis.