# Serum levels of PTEN and progranulin as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for severe pneumonia in the elderly

## TL;DR

This study explores how PTEN and Progranulin levels in blood could help diagnose and predict outcomes of severe pneumonia in elderly patients.

## Contribution

The study identifies PTEN and Progranulin as novel biomarkers for diagnosing severe pneumonia and predicting mortality in elderly patients.

## Key findings

- Elevated PTEN and Progranulin levels are associated with severe pneumonia in elderly patients.
- Progranulin is an independent risk factor for mortality in severe pneumonia.
- The combination of PTEN and Progranulin has a high diagnostic accuracy (AUC of 0.887).

## Abstract

Severe pneumonia presents a critical challenge clinically, especially for elderly patients. This study investigates the diagnostic and prognostic potential of serum Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Deleted on Chromosome Ten (PTEN) and Progranulin in this population.

To evaluate the effectiveness of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) and Progranulin as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for differentiating severe pneumonia from common pneumonia in elderly patients, so as to enhance clinical practice.

This comparative study was conducted on 90 elderly patients with severe pneumonia (Observation Group) and 90 elderly patients with common pneumonia (Control Group). Based on the survival outcome 28 days post-admission, the Observation Group was further divided into the Survival Group (n = 51) and the Deceased Group (n = 39). This study continued to measure and compare the white blood cell counts, albumin, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as serum levels of PTEN and Progranulin. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess correlations between PTEN and Progranulin levels. In addition, the diagnostic efficacy of PTEN and Progranulin was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Besides, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to determine mortality-related factors.

Patients with severe pneumonia were measured with significantly higher white blood cells, CRP, procalcitonin, PTEN, and Progranulin levels (all P < 0.05), but lower albumin levels (all P < 0.05). PTEN exhibited a moderately positive correlation with Progranulin. The combined use of PTEN and Progranulin yielded a higher area under the curve (AUC) of 0.887. Additionally, elevated CRP and Progranulin levels were linked to worse outcomes, and Progranulin was a novel independent risk factor for patient death.

Serum PTEN and Progranulin are promising diagnostic biomarkers for severe pneumonia in elderly patients, with Progranulin showing prognostic value in particular.