Is immature granulocyte a new predictor in the diagnosis of peptic ulcer perforation?

Abstract

<b>Introduction:</b> Peptic ulcer perforation (PUP) requires immediate treatment. Immature granulocyte (IG) takes part in the inflammation process and is a biomarker which can be easily tested in peripheral venous blood. </br></br> <b>Aim:</b> This study demonstrates that IG is a convenient biomarker in the diagnosis of PUP. </br></br> <b> Material and methods: </b> Medical records of patients treated in the years 2018–2020 were analysed retrospectively. The study recognized three groups of patients: 42 PUD patients (Group 1), 42 PUP patients (Group 2) and 45 individuals acting as a healthy control (HC, Group 3). Surgical repair was performed in all patients from the PUP group. Differences between the groups were analysed statistically. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was calculated in order to predict the likelihood of PUP diagnosis based on the immature granulocyte count (IGC) and immature granulocyte percentage (IG%). </br></br> <b> Results:</b> The average IGC was high in group 1 and group 2, while the IG levels remained low in the HC group A statistically significant difference between the groups was confirmed (mean values, respectively; 0.05 [0.12], 0.04 [0.06], 0.03 [0.03], and P = 0.001). The average value of IG% was high in group 1 and group 2 but remained low in the HC group A statistically significant difference between the groups was confirmed (mean values, respectively; 1.62 ± 0.41, 0.68 ± 0.22, 0.37 ± 0.55, and P = 0.003). The following parameters were calculated for IGC and IG%: AUC: 0.637; sensitivity: 61.9%; specificity: 57.1%; P = 0.031, AUC: 0.693; sensitivity: 61.9%; specificity: 64.3%; P = 0.02), respectively. </br></br> <b>Results:</b> IG is convenient as a diagnostic biomarker in PUP patients admitted to the emergency department.