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Author Spotlight: Advancing Spectral Characterization of Physiological and Malperfused Tissues
Published on: July 5, 2024
Diagnostic lipid changes in patients with visceral leishmaniasis
Vasilis Tsimihodimos1, Anastazia Kei1, Fotini Apostolou1
1a Department of Internal Medicine , Medical School, University of Ioannina , Ioannina , Greece.
Background:
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has been associated with the increase in triglyceride (TG) levels and the decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether there is a diagnostic cut-off point in these lipid profile changes.
Materials And Methods:
We included 100 patients with febrile infections. Analytically, 22 patients with VL, 18 patients with leptospirosis, 20 patients with Brucella melitensis, and 40 age- and sex-matched patients with fever and proven bacteremia (endocarditis and pyelonephritis). The lipid parameters were assessed for their diagnostic accuracy using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic statistics.
Results:
It was observed that coexistence of HDL-C < 15 mg/dL and ΤG > 180 mg/dL had 100% sensitivity and 67.5% specificity for the confirmation of VL. The corresponding positive and negative predictive values were 59.4% and 100%, respectively.
Conclusion:
Coexistence of high TGs and low HDL-C values may suggest VL infection in a febrile patient.
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