Özet:

Objective: Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by signs of systemic infection and bacteremia in the first month of life. Neonatal sepsis is an important cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, and a combination of clinical and laboratory findings is required for the correct diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. This study was planned to examine and compare C reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and Interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels in the early diagnosis and follow-up of neonatal sepsis. Material and Methods: A total of 103 cases were included in the study. While 55 cases with the clinical signs and symptoms were in the sepsis group, 48 cases without the signs and symptoms of sepsis were included in the study as the control group. Demographic characteristics, prenatal and maternal characteristics of the patients were recorded. Hematological findings, CRP, PCT and IL-18 levels were measured. Results: C reactive protein (CRP) (53.42±61.94 vs 3.2±0.53 mg/dl, p<0.001), PCT (11.53±18.68 vs 0.44±0.66 ng/ml, p <0.001) and IL-18 (18.62±15.64 vs 13.00±11.83 ng/L) levels were found to be statistically significantly higher in the sepsis group compared to the control group. According to the results of ROC curve analysis, CRP, PCT and IL-18 were found to be significant parameters for the diagnosis and follow-up of neonatal sepsis (p<0.05). The cut-off value for IL-18 at 0 h was 11.35 ng/L (sensitivity 63.6%, specificity 68.7%, AUC:0.627, p=0.027) and the cut-off value for IL-18 at 24 h was 12.56 ng/L (sensitivity 63.6%, specificity 70.8%, AUC:0.662, p=0.005). Conclusion: Although sensitivity and specificity are lower than CRP and PCT; IL-18 can be considered as helpful data contributing to the diagnosis and follow-up of neonatal sepsis.

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