Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of serum YKL-40 measurement in children with community acquired pneumonia(CAP). Methods: The serum concentration of YKL-40 in 118 children with CAP,80 with other respiratory disease and 31 healthy controls were detected by ELISA.The guideline established by Chinese Pediatric Societ,Chinese Medical Association was used for CAP diagnosis and complication status verification.The diagnostic efficiency,as well as prediction performance for CAP related complications,was estimated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve. Results: Increased serum YKL-40 level was observed in CAP children.The area under cure for YKL-40 in CAP diagnosis was 0.75(95%CI 0.68-0.81),and the sensitivity and specificity was 0.77(95%CI 0.68-0.84) and 0.66(95%CI 0.57-0.75),respectively, at the optimal threshold of 96.5 μg·L-1.The AUC for CAP related complications prediction was 0.75(95%CI 0.68-0.81),with the sensitivity of 0.80(95%CI 0.61-0.92) and specificity of 0.57(95%CI 0.46-0.67),at the optimal threshold of 128.0 μg·L-1. Conclusion: Serum YKL-40 is a useful biomarker for CAP diagnosis and disease assessment. |