Can immature platelet fraction be an early predictor for congenital pneumonia?

Aim: Timely diagnosis and treatment of congenital pneumonia are crucial. A new hematologic parameter, immature platelet fraction, has been used to gather clinical information on the prognosis of thrombocytopenia, as well as to measure inflammatory activity in adult patients. This study aimed to compare immature platelet fraction and sepsis biomarkers in late-preterm infants diagnosed as having congenital pneumonia and to evaluate its predictive value for congenital pneumonia.

Material and Methods: Late-preterms were categorized based on infectious vs. non-infectious etiology of respiratory distress. Two sets of blood samples for markers were taken at 12-24 (sample-1) and 48-72 hours (sample-2) after birth. Immature platelet fraction was measured using a Sysmex XN-3000 analyzer.

Results: From a total of 30 non-thrombocytopenic late-preterms, 16 were included in the congenital pneumonia group and 14 comprised the transient tachypnea group. The groups were comparable in terms of gestational age, birth weight, and cesarean section rate. The proportion of prolonged membrane rupture was significantly higher in the congenital pneumonia group. Values of immature platelet fraction-1, immature platelet fraction-2, and procalcitonin-2 were significantly higher in the congenital pneumonia group than in the transient tachypnea group. No significant differences were found between the groups in other biomarkers. It was determined that an immature platelet fraction-1 cut-off value of 2.9% could predict congenital pneumonia with a sensitivity of 65%, a specificity of 71.4%, a positive predictive value of 70.5%, and negative predictive value of 63.7% (area under the curve=0.724; p=0.028).

Conclusion: Immature platelet fraction may have an early predictive role in the diagnosis of congenital pneumonia.