Abstract
We aimed to evaluate serum levels of serum amyloid‐A (SAA) both in the diagnosis and monitoring the treatment response of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Forty‐five preterm neonates were enrolled in the study, including 15 infants with NEC, 15 with sepsis, and 15 healthy preterm infants. Pre‐ and posttreatment serum SAA levels were measured. Among patients with NEC, 11 had stage 1 and 4 had stage 2 disease according to the modified Bell's staging criteria. Baseline SAA levels of the infants with NEC were significantly higher than controls (P=0.013) and were significantly lower than those with sepsis (P=0.004). When infants with stage 1and stage 2 NEC were analyzed separately, baseline SAA levels of the infants with stage 2 NEC were significantly higher than controls (P=0.027) than those with stage 1 NEC (P=0.018), but similar to those with sepsis. There was a trend that baseline SAA levels were also correlated with the Bell stage (r=0.501, P=0.057). Posttreatment SAA levels significantly decreased in infants with sepsis (P=0.002). Pre‐ and posttreatment SAA levels were similar in patients with stage 1 and 2 NEC. In conclusion, SAA rises in early stages of NEC and may aid in diagnosis as a serum marker. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 25:233–237, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.