Key result
Elevated PENK linked to worsening renal function, AKI, and increased mortality in sepsis.
Why the study?
Prompt diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and septic shock are crucial due to high morbidity and mortality, prompting interest in novel biomarkers like proenkephalin to detect, classify, and assess disease severity.
Does proenkephalin (PENK) predict renal dysfunction and mortality in septic patients admitted to the ED and ICU?
Does proenkephalin (PENK) predict renal dysfunction and mortality in septic patients admitted to the ED and ICU?
Proenkephalin is a promising biomarker for predicting sepsis-associated acute kidney injury and mortality in emergency and intensive care settings.
PENK may aid risk stratification in septic AKI; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical adoption.
Prompt diagnosis and treatment of sepsis and septic shock is crucial due to the persistently high rates of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. Recently, research efforts have focused on identifying novel biomarkers that would detect, classify, and assess the severity of sepsis in a timely manner, thereby allowing for expeditious and precise treatment of sepsis and septic shock. Among these biomarkers, proenkephalin (PENK) has gained considerable attention. Accordingly, this narrative review aims to consolidate current evidence on the clinical utility of PENK in patients with sepsis and septic shock, with emphasis on its role as a biomarker of renal dysfunction and as a predictor of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality in both the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU) settings.
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Verras et al. (2026) conducted a review in Sepsis and septic shock. Proenkephalin (PENK) vs. Lower or normal PENK levels was evaluated on Prediction of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality. Elevated circulating proenkephalin (PENK) levels are consistently associated with worsening renal function, the development of acute kidney injury, and increased mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis.
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