Abstract

Sepsis is an important cause of neonatal death and perinatal brain damage, particularly in preterm infants. It is thought that activation of the inflammatory cascade triggered by cytokine may play a role in the pathogenesis of sepsis. Recent evidence supports a role for resistin in inflammation. There are no data in the literature on resistin levels in neonates with sepsis, which can also cause an inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of resistin as an indicator in neonatal sepsis. Forty neonates considered to have sepsis were included in the study. Forty gestational and postnatal age- and sex-matched neonates without prolonged premature rupture of membrane or sepsis had served as controls. The mean resistin level of the neonates with sepsis was 115 ng/mL and was higher than those of the control group (41.1 ng/mL ). There was statistically significant direct correlations between serum resistin and both TLC and CRP. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values for resistin were 100%, 93%, 96%, and 100%, respectively. Resistin levels were higher in newborns with sepsis and correlated with TLC and CRP levels, which are indicators of neonatal sepsis. This suggests that resistin may also be used in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.

Key words: C-reactive protein, resistin, neonatal, sepsis, biomarker