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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Inflammation
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1413729

Clinical Biomarker Profiles Reveals Gender Differences and Mortality Factors in Sepsis

Provisionally accepted
Zhenglin Chang Zhenglin Chang *Jiancai Lu Jiancai Lu Qitai Zhang Qitai Zhang Haojie Wu Haojie Wu Zhiman Liang Zhiman Liang Xiaocong Pan Xiaocong Pan Bishan Li Bishan Li Zhangkai J. Cheng Zhangkai J. Cheng Baoqing Sun Baoqing Sun
  • Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Sepsis is a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality, affecting millions each year. Notwithstanding the decline in sepsis incidence and mortality over decades, gender disparities in sepsis outcomes persist, with research suggesting higher mortality rates in males. Methods: This retrospective study aims to delineate gender-specific clinical biomarker profiles impacting sepsis progression and mortality by examining sepsis cases and related clinical data from the past three years. Propensity score matching was used to select age-matched healthy controls for comparison. Results: Among 265 sepsis patients, a significantly higher proportion were male (60.8%, P<0.001). While mortality did not significantly differ by gender, deceased patients were significantly older (mean 69 vs 43 years, P=0.003), more likely to have hypertension (54% vs 25%, P=0.019), and had higher SOFA scores (mean ~10 vs 4, P<0.01) compared to survivors. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed clear separation between sepsis patients and healthy controls. 48 serum biomarkers were significantly altered in sepsis, with Triiodothyronine, Apolipoprotein A, and Serum cystatin C having the highest diagnostic value by ROC analysis. Gender-stratified comparisons identified male-specific (e.g. AFP, HDLC) and female-specific (e.g. Rheumatoid factor, Interleukin-6) diagnostic biomarkers. Deceased patients significantly differed from survivors, with 22 differentially expressed markers; Antithrombin, Prealbumin, HDL cholesterol, Urea nitrogen and Hydroxybutyrate had the highest diagnostic efficiency for mortality. Conclusions: These findings enhance our understanding of gender disparities in sepsis and may guide future therapeutic strategies. Further research is warranted to validate these biomarker profiles and investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying these gender differences in sepsis outcomes.

    Keywords: Spesis, Gender difference, mortality factors, retrospective analysis, biomarkers

    Received: 07 Apr 2024; Accepted: 09 May 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chang, Lu, Zhang, Wu, Liang, Pan, Li, Cheng and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhenglin Chang, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.