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Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objectives: For evaluation of serum leptin level in neonates with sepsis to aid early and accurate diagnosis and treatment. Background: Leptin is a polypeptide hormone that is mainly, but not exclusively, produced in adipose tissue and plays an important role in the innate immune defense. This study was designed to evaluate the level of serum leptin in cases of neonatal sepsis. Materials and methods: This study was carried out on 50 neonates divided into a case group (30 neonates with sepsis) and a control group (20 healthy neonates). All patients in the study were subjected to adequate assessment of history, full clinical examination, complete blood cell, C-reactive protein with titer, blood culture, and serum leptin assay by ELISA at the time of diagnosis and after recovery from sepsis. Results: The study showed that neonates who developed sepsis had significantly higher serum leptin levels than those of the control group and leptin levels were significantly higher in patients before antimicrobial therapy than after antimicrobial therapy. Also, there were no significant correlations between serum leptin and complete blood cell parameters or C-reactive protein, but there was a significant positive correlation with the sepsis score. A significantly higher level of serum leptin was found in patients with positive blood cultures compared with those with negative blood cultures, but there was no difference in the serum leptin level between survivors and nonsurvivors. The study showed that the best cut off value for serum leptin in the detection of sepsis was 2.75 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 70%. Conclusion: Serum leptin plays a role in neonatal sepsis.

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