AUTHOR=Shang Jing , Xue Lanping , Zhao Hongping , Cui Xiaopeng , Shangguan Lijuan , Wang Hailong , Li Xinyi 

TITLE=Relationship between serum prealbumin level and prognosis of community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults: a retrospective cohort study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2024.1424069

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2024.1424069

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Background</title><p>Low serum prealbumin levels have been identified as a predictor of infectious complication in critically ill patients. However, the association in patients with Community-acquired bacterial meningitis (CABM) remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of prealbumin and the poor outcome of CABM through a retrospective cohort study.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>A total of 77 patients of CABM were enrolled. They were divided into good outcome group (GOS: 5) and a bad outcome group (GOS: 1–4). Serum prealbumin and other clinical records were measured within 24 h after admission.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>Among the included patients, 38(65.52%) had a bad outcome (the GOS score between 1 and 4). The mean age of the overall cohort was 45.3 ± 15.9 years, and 58.6% of patients were male. The mean prealbumin level in the bad outcome group was 115.4 ± 49.4 mmol/L, while the mean level in the good outcome group was 199.1 ± 49.3 mmol/L (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Individuals with plasma prealbumin level ≤180 mmol/L had a 3.32-fold higher risk of CABM than those with normal plasma prealbumin level [OR = 4.32 (1.02 ~ 18.24), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05].</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Reduced plasma prealbumin level is independently associated with the poor outcome of CABM. Plasma prealbumin level might help to identify patients at high risk of bad outcome.</p></sec>