D-Dimer and procalcitonin in patients with recurrent pericarditis: a prospective study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Inflammatory Diseases
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Recurrent pericarditis is an inflammatory condition with unclear pathogenesis and diagnostic challenges.
• Biomarkers like D-Dimer (D-D) and procalcitonin (PCT) may offer insights into inflammatory processes.
• Idiopathic recurrent pericarditis requires further understanding of its clinical and laboratory correlates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between D-Dimer (D-D) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels and clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings in patients with recurrent idiopathic pericarditis.
• To identify potential correlations of these biomarkers with inflammatory markers and disease features.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 412 patients diagnosed with idiopathic recurrent pericarditis between 2019 and 2023.
• Retrospective collection of D-Dimer (D-D) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels from emergency room data.
• Correlation analysis of biomarker levels with clinical symptoms, laboratory tests (CRP, WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes), and imaging findings (pleural effusion).

Main Results:

• Elevated D-Dimer (D-D) levels were observed in 33 of 48 patients (68.75%), but none had venous thromboembolism.
• Elevated D-D levels significantly correlated with pleural effusion, fever, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), leukocytosis, and neutrophilia.
• Multivariate analysis identified fever as the only independent predictor of elevated D-D levels.
• Procalcitonin (PCT) levels were assessed in 50 patients, with only 4 showing marginal elevation, and were unrelated to any studied variables.

Conclusions:

• In idiopathic recurrent pericarditis, elevated D-Dimer (D-D) levels are associated with non-specific inflammatory markers, particularly fever, and are not indicative of venous thromboembolism.
• Procalcitonin (PCT) is not a reliable biomarker in this context, showing infrequent elevation and no significant correlations.
• D-Dimer may serve as a surrogate marker for inflammation in recurrent pericarditis, warranting further investigation into its specific role.