Diagnostic value of Galectin-3 in acute appendicitis

ABSTRACT DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF GALECTIN-3 IN ACUTE APPENDICITIS Introduction: Acute appendicitis (AA), which is characterized by inflammation of the vermiform appendix, is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain, especially in young patients. The emergency department has a privileged position in the diagnosis of AA patients. Although many laboratory markers such as white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count, C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are used in the diagnosis of AA, their diagnostic performance is not sufficient. Research continues into the identification of novel markers for the purpose of diagnosing AA. Galectin-3, a novel lectin-binding protein, involved in inflammation and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the diagnostic performance of Galactin-3 in AA cases. Material and methods: The study included 60 histopathologically confirmed AA patients over 18 years of age and 60 age-sex-matched healthy controls. WBC, CRP, NLR and PLR were evaluated from blood samples obtained at the time of presentation to the emergency department. Preoperative galectin-3 level were studied by ELISA method. Results: The mean age of the patients was 37.17±1.62 years and 33.37±1.31 years in the control group. 52.7% of the AA patients and 47.3% of the control group were male. WBC count (p<0.001), CRP (p<0.001), NLR (p<0.001) and PLR (p=0.007) of AA cases were higher than the control group. Median galectin-3 levels were 276.49 ng/ml and 185.26 ng/ml in the patient and control groups, respectively. AA patients had higher levels of galectin-3 than controls (p<0.001). ROC analyses demonstrated that galectin-3 levels exhibited 95% sensitivity and 66.67% specificity for the diagnosis of AA (p<0.001, AUC=0.879, Cut-off >205.98). Conclusion: Galectin-3 has an important diagnostic potential for AA. In cases where the diagnosis of AA is difficult, the inclusion of galactin-3 in the evaluation process may facilitate the correct diagnosis in the emergency department. Key Words: Acute Appendicitis, Galectin-3, Abdominal Pain, Emergency Department