Assessment of the combined utility of S100B, GFAP, and IL-6 in predicting long-term cognitive impairment in survivors of sepsis.

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to comprehensively investigate the combined utility of S100B, GFAP, and IL-6 as predictors of long-term cognitive impairment in sepsis survivors. Specifically, we aimed to determine whether these biomarkers, either individually or in combination, could effectively predict the occurrence of long-term cognitive impairment in this patient population, and to explore their potential as valuable clinical tools for early detection and intervention.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 114 sepsis patients. Patients were divided into non-cognitive impairment and cognitive impairment groups. Serum biomarker levels were compared, and correlations between biomarkers and cognitive impairment were explored. ROC analysis evaluated the predictive value of S100B, GFAP, and IL-6 levels, and the combined diagnosis of the three biomarkers was studied.

Results: The non-cognitive impairment group had a younger age, higher education level, employment rate, married rate, and presence of family members (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed positive correlations between cognitive impairment and CRP, IL-10, S100B, GFAP, and IL-6 (p < 0.05). AUC values of S100B, GFAP, and IL-6 were 0.792, 0.752, and 0.732, respectively, indicating significant predictive value for cognitive impairment. Combined prediction using the three biomarkers had an AUC value of 0.887, with a specificity of 88% and sensitivity of 89%.

Conclusion: Long-term cognitive impairment in sepsis survivors is influenced by various cytokines. Significant differences were found in biomarker levels between non-cognitive impairment and cognitive impairment groups. The combined utility of S100B, GFAP, and IL-6 showed significant predictive value for cognitive impairment in survivors of sepsis.