Serum Leptin in Hospitalized Community-Acquired Pneumonia Children under the Age of Five Years

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) accounts for 19% of the world’s total deaths among all age groups yearly, with highest rates in children less than 5 years. This study is designed to evaluate the serum leptin level in hospitalized children under the age of 5 years with CAP. This prospective cross-sectional study included CAP children under the age of 5 years. Forty-one patients admitted to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and 41 patients admitted to general ward were enrolled. Patients with any other cause that may elevate serum leptin were excluded. Serum leptin was measured on the day of admission. The PICU patients had a significantly higher median serum leptin than that of the ward patients (p  29.6 pg/ml, serum leptin had a sensitivity of 70.7% and a specificity of 87.8% We may conclude that CAP patients with a serum leptin level above 29.6 pg/ml should be considered for PICU admission.