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A multi-institutional team of medical researchers has discovered that measuring the activity of four specific genes in pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis can predict whether the disease is simple or perforated.among them studyreported in the magazine JAMA PediatricsThe research group studied gene expression signatures in children diagnosed with appendicitis and took a closer look at the association between such signatures and disease severity.
Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix due to an infection, commonly occurring as a result of a blockage. Such inflammation usually causes swelling and abdominal pain. Previous research has shown that appendicitis has many forms, from chronic to acute, and in the most severe cases, the appendix ruptures, allowing fluid to drain into the abdomen, which can lead to sepsis or sepsis. there is. Children tend to develop appendicitis more often than adults.
Diagnosing appendicitis is generally not difficult, but assessing its severity can be difficult. Less severe cases where the appendix has not ruptured can usually be treated with antibiotics. More severe cases usually require immediate surgery to remove the appendix.
Because it’s difficult to quickly determine the severity of a case, medical researchers have been looking for possible markers. In this new study, an Australian team found evidence that measuring gene activity levels of four specific genes could help assess the severity of appendicitis in children.
The study involved studying signs of gene activity in pediatric patients that were thought to be potentially related to appendicitis. In doing so, they found four. PLBD1, S100A12, S100A8, ANXA3. All four were found to be upregulated in patients suffering from perforated appendicitis.
They also noted that three of the same genes were associated with sepsis severity in previous studies. When blood samples were taken from 70 pediatric patients diagnosed with appendicitis and tested for gene activity, researchers found that severe cases were detected 85% of the time.
For more information:
Maurizio Pacilli et al, New genetic biomarkers for diagnosing pediatric appendicitis, JAMA Pediatrics (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.6731
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