Diagnostic Role of Serum Haptoglobin level in Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis

Background: Introduction: Searching for an ideal marker for diagnosing neonatal infection is still an important concern in every country. There are many biomarkers reported for neonatal sepsis. Haptoglobin is an acute phase reactants which rise in response to infection and injuries. In this report we discussed the efficacy of serum haptoglobin level in different cut off levels in early onset neonatal sepsis. Material and methods: Total of 84 neonates divided in to a sepsis (43 neonates) and control group (41 neonates) and enrolled in this case-control study. Sepsis was defined base on both clinical and laboratory criteria. Serum haptoglobin level was evaluated in both groups. Sensitivity and specificity of haptoglobin in different cut off points was evaluated and study data was analyzed by SPSS 18 software. Results:Neonates in both groups didn’t have significant relation in term of gender, gestational age at birth and birth weight. Serum level of haptoglobin in sepsis group was significantly higher than control group (P=0.0001). Also there was significant relation between haptoglobin and positive blood cultures (p=0.0001). Cut of point of 25mg/dl had sensitivity of 67%, specificity of 95%, accuracy of 80% and positive predictive value of 93% and considered as preferable cut off point in early neonatal sepsis. Conclusion: Serum plasma haptoglobin can be a specific diagnostic factor in diagnosing early neonatal sepsis in keeping with other diagnostic tests for sepsis.