The relationship of the immature platelet fraction with the diagnosis
and severity of acute bronchiolitis in children.
Abstract
Objective: Acute bronchiolitis is one of the most common causes of
hospitalization for children younger than 1 year. Although the prognosis
for these children is generally good, the condition involves a risk of
mortality. Here, we evaluate the immature platelet fraction (IPF) as a
biomarker for the severity of acute bronchiolitis. Material and Methods:
In total, 179 children who had been diagnosed with acute bronchiolitis
were classified into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe
bronchiolitis, and 80 healthy children were included as a control group.
The diagnostic capacity of the IPF, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet
distribution width (PDW), white blood cell count (WBC), and platelet
count (PLT) values to predict bronchiolitis was evaluated using receiver
operating characteristic (ROC) curves and their respective areas under
the curves (AUCs) calculated with 95% confidence intervals. Results:
Patients with acute bronchiolitis had a larger IPF than their healthy
counterparts (p < 0.001). Additionally, a positive correlation
was observed between the clinical severity of the disease and the IPF.
The ROC curve analysis indicated that the IPF cut-off point for
predicting acute bronchiolitis was >3.2%, with a
sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 97%. Our results clearly
demonstrate that the AUCs for IPF, MPV, PDW, WBC, and PLT were
statistically significant for the bronchiolitis versus the control
group. The AUC was greatest for the IPF. Conclusion: The IPF is a new
marker for diagnosing and evaluating the clinical severity of acute
bronchiolitis.