Changes and Clinical Value of Serum miR-24 and miR-223 Levels in Patients with Severe Pneumonia

Severe pneumonia progresses rapidly, so early assessment of the severity and prognosis is crucial for reducing mortality rates.

We explore the role of serum microRNA-24 (miR-24) and microRNA-223 (miR-223) in the prognosis of severe pneumonia.

There were a total of 96 patients with general pneumonia, 94 patients with severe pneumonia, and 93 healthy people, who were enrolled in this study. The levels of serum miR-24 and miR-223 were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR in all groups.

The serum miR-223 level in the severe group was higher than that in the common group and the control group, and the miR-24 level was lower than that in the common group and the control group (P<0.05). The serum miR-223 levels and APACHEII scores in the death group were higher than those in the survival group on the first, third, and seventh day after admission, while the miR-24 levels were lower than those in the survival group (P<0.05). The proportion of patients with mechanical ventilation in the death group was higher than that in the survival group (P<0.05). The level of serum miR-24 was negatively correlated with APACHEII score and mechanical ventilation in patients who died of severe pneumonia (P<0.05), and miR-223 was positively correlated with APACHEII score and mechanical ventilation (P<0.05). The AUC predicted by serum miR-24, miR-223, and APACHEII scores alone and jointly were 0.867, 0.839, 0.791, and 0.952, respectively. MiR-24 and miR-223 are protective and independent risk factors for mortality in severe pneumonia patients, respectively (P<0.05). MiR-24 was a protective factor affecting the death of patients with severe pneumonia, and miR-223 was an independent risk factor affecting the death of patients with severe pneumonia (P<0.05).

The combination of serum miR-24 and miR-223 levels on the first day after admission and APACHEII score can effectively predict prognosis.