Serum inflammatory markers in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia and their predictive value for mycoplasma severity

BACKGROUND Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) significantly impacts pediatric health, necessitating markers for early severe disease identification. AIM To investigate the correlation between serum inflammatory marker and the severity of MPP in children. METHODS A prospective study was carried out from January 2023 to November 2023. A total of 160 children with MPP who underwent treatment were selected: 80 had severe MPP and 80 had mild MPP. Clinical and laboratory data were collected at the time of hospital admission and during hospitalization. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to assess the diagnostic and prognostic for severe MPP. RESULTS Fever duration and length of hospitalization in pediatric patients with severe MPP exceeded those with mild MPP. The incidence of pleural effusion, lung consolidation, and bronchopneumonia on imaging was markedly elevated in the severe MPP cohort compared to the mild MPP cohort. In contrast to the mild cohort, there was a notable increase in C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, lactic dehydrogenase, D-dimer, and inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the severe MPP group were significantly higher. CONCLUSION Serum inflammatory markers (CRP, PCT, IL-6, D-dimer, IL-10 and TNF-α) were considered as predictors in children with severe MPP.