Correlation of syndecan-1 level and fluid overload in children with sepsis: A cross-sectional study

Background: Fluid resuscitation is one of the basic principles for managing sepsis, but excessive fluid causes the shedding of the endothelial glycocalyx (syndecan-1) and can cause capillary leakage and tissue edema. This study aimed to determine the correlation between the syndecan-1 level and fluid overload in children with sepsis. Materials and Methods: This was an analytic, cross-sectional study conducted in a pediatric intensive care unit. A total of 49 children aged 0–18 participated in this study. Factors investigated were age, gender, nutritional status, the site of infection, organ dysfunction, the severity of sepsis, outcome, blood culture, procalcitonin level, and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction-2 score. The syndecan-1 level was measured by examining the subject’s blood serum. Statistical analysis was done using the Spearman correlation test. Results: Forty-nine sepsis children aged 0–18 were enrolled, with a median age of 12 months. The respiration system was the most common site of infection, and dysfunction of the respiration system was the most common found in the subjects. The median of fluid overload was 8.3%, and the median of procalcitonin and syndecan levels was 17 ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR] = 1.97–64.03 ng/mL) and 372 ng/mL (IQR = 223.5–1389 ng/mL), respectively. The Spearman’s correlation test found a moderate correlation between syndecan-1 and fluid overload (r = 0.469, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The plasma concentrations of syndecan-1, a marker of endothelial glycocalyx shedding, were moderately correlated with the fluid overload in patients with sepsis, indicating the link between the fluid overload and the shedding of the glycocalyx.