The Role of Angiopoietine-2 in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Sepsis

Janos Szederjesi¹, Emoke Almasy¹, Alexandra Lazar¹, Adina Huțanu², Anca Georgescu³

¹ University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tîrgu Mureş, Romania, Discipline of Intensive Care, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu street, Tirgu Mures, 540139, Romania
² County Clinical Emergency Hospital Tirgu Mures, Romania, 50 Gheorghe Marinescu street Tirgu Mures, 540139, Romania
³ University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tîrgu Mureş, Romania, Discipline of Infectious Diseases, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu street, Tirgu Mures, 540139, Romania

DOI: 10.1515/jccm-2015-0004

Introduction: Angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) is a new biomarker whose blood-serum values increase in sepsis and its expression is elevated in line with the severity of the degree of inflammation. The aim of this study was to identify the diagnostic role of ANG-2 in patients with non-surgical sepsis addmitted to an intensive care unit.
Material and methods: This was a prospective randomized study including 74 patients admitted in the Clinic of Intensive Care of the County Clinical Emergency Hospital Tirgu Mureș, divided into two groups: Group S: patients with sepsis (n=40, 54%) and Group C: control, without sepsis (n=34, 46%). ANG-2 levels were determined in both groups.
Results: From the Group S, 14 patients (35%) had positive haemocultures. ANG-2 values varied between 1 and 43 ng/mL, with an average of 6.0 ng/mL in patients without sepsis and 10.38 ng/mL in patients with sepsis (p=0.021). A positive correlation between ANG-2 and SAPS II, SOFA and APACHE II severity scores was demonstrated, as was a positive correlation between serum levels of ANG-2 and procalcitonine. ANG-2 had a 5.71% specificity and 74.36% sensitivity for diagnosis of sepsis.
Conclusions: ANG-2 serum levels were elevated in sepsis, being well correlated with PCT values and prognostic scores. ANG-2 should be considered as a useful biomarker for the diagnosis and the prognosis of this pathology.