Heparin-Binding Protein Combined with Albumin for Assessing the Severity of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has a high incidence rate and high mortality. Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is correlated with the severity of CAP. Albumin (ALB) is correlated with its prognosis. However, the role of HBP and ALB together (HBP–ALB) in assessing the severity of CAP is unclear. This study investigates the correlation between HBP–ALB and the severity of CAP. Methods: A total of 91 patients with CAP admitted to the Emergency Department of Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, between March 1, 2021 and March 1, 2022 were enrolled. The patients were placed into two groups: mild CAP (mCAP; n = 69) and severe CAP (sCAP; n = 22). Patient characteristics and laboratory data were obtained. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the value of area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the predictive values of both HBP and ALB. Results: The white blood cell (WBC) count, procalcitonin (PCT), HBP, creatinine (Cr), and D-dimer were higher in the sCAP group, while ALB was lower in the sCAP group (P < .05) than those of the mCAP group. The AUCs of WBC, PCT, HBP, and HBP–ALB were 0.674 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.544–0.803, P < .05), 0.677 (95% CI: 0.538–0.816, P <.05), 0.776(95% CI: 0.671–0.881, P < .05), and 0.805(95% CI: 0.692–0.918, P < .05). Conclusions: HBP–ALB has a higher predictive value than that of HBP, PCT, and WBC used alone for the early assessment of CAP.