The official MedZine Blog

Sepsis is a life threatening condition that requires immediate treatment with antibiotics. However, the accompanying clinical presentation may also occur with other causes, leading to a possible delay in diagnosis and treatment. The expression pattern of eleven genes may help to distinguish between these conditions more efficiently, scientists of the Stanford University Medical School, California, write in Science.

At the intensive care station, sepsis is the main cause of death. When bacteria enter the systemic circulation, the immune system initiates a whole-body inflammation response which may progress to septic shock, multiple organ failure and death. “It’s critical for clinicians to diagnose sepsis accurately and quickly, because the risk of death from this condition increases with every passing hour it goes untreated,” says co-author Purvesh Khatri, assistant professor of biomedical informatics research.

On the other hand, antibiotics should be prescribed carefully, because they can be counterproductive in the case of sterile inflammations. This underpins the importance of correct diagnosis when sepsis is suspected.

The researchers performed data analysis of 2,900 blood samples of 1,600 patients with sepsis or sterile inflammation. This led to the identification of 11 genes with distinctive expression patterns in the two patient groups. These patterns can possibly be used for a genetic test. The procalcitonin measurements currently used for diagnostics in practice have a diagnostic power of 0.78. With the new method this number could rise to 0.83.

Next, the test should be validated in a prospective study. Khatri says: “We think we’ve got the makings of a diagnostic blood test that will allow clinicians to distinguish between these two types of inflammation.”

Sources: Stanford University, Science

MedZine writes about notable science twice a week.