Fatty acid-binding proteins in the diagnosis and disease severity prediction in pneumonia

Aim: Infections of the respiratory tract are important healthcare problems that are one of the main causes of referrals to the emergency department. PSI and CURB-65 are the most common scoring methods globally with proven accuracy and validity through many studies. Fatty acid-binding proteins are member of small cytoplasmic proteins that play a role in the transportation and deposition of lipids almost in all mammalian cells. They are strongly associated with metabolic and inflammatory processes. The aim of the present study was to determine the value of FABP for diagnosis and disease severity in patients diagnosed with pneumonia and to compare the correlation with PSI and CURB-65 scoring systems.Material and Methods: This prospective and single-cantered study was conducted on patients referring to the emergency department of Istanbul Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Training and Research Hospital who were diagnosed with pneumonia and on healthy volunteers. Results: FABP level was significantly higher in the patient group when compared with the control group (p: <0.01). FABP level was detected significantly higher in the severe pneumonia group of the binary groups created according to PSI and CURB-65 scoring. Discussion: As a result of the data obtained in the present study, it was concluded that FABP would be useful for the determination of the diagnosis, disease severity and the decision whether to hospitalize the patient with pneumonia. FABP is an important biomarker that guides the clinician for management of pneumonia patients who refer to the emergency department.