Are lipoprotein levels and ratios able to predict mortality due to sepsis?

Abstract

Objective: To compare lipoprotein levels, and non-HDL to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratios of survivors and non-survivors of sepsis, and to determine the predictivity levels of specified parameters in mortality. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Internal Medicine, Kirikkale University, School of Medicine, Training and Research Hospital, Kirikkale, Turkey, from December 2017 to December 2018. Methodology: The study subjects included 37 non-survivors and 32 survivors of sepsis with similar ages, comorbidities, and disease activities. The total lipoprotein levels, and non-HDL to HDL ratios of the participants were compared retrospectively. Results: HDL and non-HDL to HDL ratios were found to be different between the two groups. The cut-off levels of these values were determined as 32 and 3.4, respectively. The cut-off levels found in the study suggest that the low HDL levels and high non-HDL to HDL ratios significantly increase the mortality risk for patients (OR=1.8 and 3.45, respectively). Conclusion: Non-HDL to HDL ratio may be used as a useful tool for predicting sepsis mortality. These values may also be included as a part of scoring systems. Further investigations are needed to clarify the role of lipoproteins in sepsis.