Endothelin-1 precursor peptides correlate with severity of disease and outcome in patients with community acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Abstract Background Circulating levels of endothelin-1 are increased in sepsis and correlate with severity of disease. A rapid and easy immunoassay has been developed to measure the more stable ET-1 precursor peptides proET-1. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of proET-1 in a prospective cohort of mainly septic patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Methods We evaluated 281 consecutive patients with community acquired pneumonia. Serum proET-1 plasma levels were measured using a new sandwich immunoassay. Results ProET-1 levels exhibited a gradual increase depending on the clinical severity of pneumonia as assessed by the pneumonia severity index (PSI) and the CURB65 scores (p Conclusion In community-acquired pneumonia, ET-1 precursor peptides correlate with disease severity and are independent predictors for mortality and ICU admission. If confirmed in future studies, proET-1 levels may become another helpful tool for risk stratification and management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Trial registration ISRCTN04176397