Role of Plasma Calreticulin in the Prediction of Severity in Septic Patients

BACKGROUND: Calreticulin has been identified to play a critical role in innate and adaptive immune responses. However, little is known about the role of calreticulin in sepsis with a characteristic of immune disorder. This study was aimed at investigating whether plasma calreticulin level increases in sepsis and its association with sepsis severity. METHODS: This retrospective analysis evaluated sepsis patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Healthy subjects were also included as controls. Plasma samples were collected from the patients within 48 h after ICU admission as well as the healthy subjects. Plasma calreticulin levels were measured via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In total, 127 sepsis patients and 40 healthy controls were included. Calreticulin was significantly increased in sepsis patients than in healthy controls. Furthermore, the level of plasma calreticulin was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. Patients with calreticulin levels > 343.5 pg/ml showed lower cumulative survival than those with levels < 343.5 pg/ml. CONCLUSION: Calreticulin level was positively correlated with the severity of sepsis. High calreticulin level indicated poor prognosis of sepsis patients.