Abstract:
Objective To investigate the value of interleukin -6(IL-6), C reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage (NEUT%) for early diagnosis and severity assessment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP).
Methods A total of 84 pediatric patients diagnosed with MPP were retrospectively enrolled in the study. Based on established clinical criteria for disease severity, the patients were divided into the severe group (n = 42) and non-severe group (n = 42). The clinical data were collected from 42 cases of healthy physical examination population as the healthy control group, and the IL-6, CRP and NLR, WBC, NEUT% levels in MPP pediatric patient and healthy control group were compared; the CRP, NLR, WBC and NEUT% levels in the severe group and non-severe group were compared; ROC curve was used to analyze the clinical value of IL-6, CRP and NLR, WBC, NEUT% for the diagnosis of MPP. The relationship between IL-6, CRP and NLR, WBC, NEUT% levels and the severity of MPP pediatric patient was analysed by multifactor logistic regression models.
Results The levels of IL-6, CRP, NLR, WBC, and NEUT% were significantly higher in children with MPP than in healthy control group (P < 0.01). The levels of IL-6, CRP, WBC, NLR and NEUT% in the severe group were higher than those in the non-severe group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01). The area under the curve (AUC) of IL-6, CRP and NLR, WBC, NEUT% for diagnosing MPP was 0.982, 0928, 0.693, 0.945, 0.924. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis indicated that IL-6, CRP and NLR, WBC and NEUT% were independent risk factors affecting the severity of MPP pediatric patient (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01).
Conclusions Detecting changes in IL-6, CRP, NLR, WBC, and NEUT% levels can assist in the early diagnosis of pediatric MPP. Moreover, the levels of these five indicators are closely associated with disease severity, providing valuable guidance for clinical management and therapeutic decision-making.