Hypoalbuminemia as predictor of thrombotic events in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Hypoalbuminemia complicates acute diseases and infections and is associated with a worst prognosis. The aim is to evaluate whether hypoalbuminemia is associated with higher incidence and risk of thrombotic events in community-acquired pneumonia. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from a prospective study investigating the incidence of thrombotic events in community-acquired pneumonia hospitalized patients from 2011 to 2016 at University-Hospital Policlinico Umberto I. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were collected. Incidence of outcomes were calculated. Kaplan-Meier curves were created, Cox model used to identify predictors for the outcomes, and competing risk analysis performed. RESULTS: From a total of 231 patients, 130 (56.3%) and 101 (43.7%) had or not hypoalbuminemia. Age, proportion of female, BMI, major comorbidities, and severity of pneumonia were similar between two subgroups. A less proportion of patients with hypoalbuminemia received antithrombotic and statin therapy. Median hospital stay was 11 days in both subgroups. Patients with hypoalbuminemia had higher D-dimer and high- sensitivity C-reactive-protein values with an inverse relation between albumin values and these markers. Incidence of thrombotic events was 26 and 11 per 1000 patient-days in patient with and without hypoalbuminemia. At Cox model, hypoalbuminemia was associated with thrombotic events development in univariable (hazard ratio; 2.67, 95% confidence intervals, 1.30-5.40) and multivariable (hazard ratio 3.19; 95% confidence intervals, 1.48-6.89) analysis. CONCLUSIONS: More than a half of patients with community acquired pneumonia had hypoalbuminemia that is associated with a doubled incidence and a three-fold increased risk of thrombotic events. The inverse relation between baseline albumin and D-dimer values confirms this association.

IGAm: A novel index predicting long-term survival in patients with early-diagnosed inherited metabolic disorders.

OBJECTIVES: The childhood mortality rate for IMDs is approximately 25 % in populations with no expanded newborn screening program. Although the factors that increase mortality risk are known, an index predicting long-term survival has yet to be established. METHODS: Two hundred sixty patients who were hospitalized during the first month of their life were screened, and 94 patients diagnosed with IMDs were included in the study. Clinical and laboratory data were assessed to identify any independent prognostic factors for overall survival. RESULTS: Among the 38 patients with IMDs in the exitus group, the presence of dysmorphism, extremity abnormalities, respiratory distress, cyanosis, elevated transaminases, elevated INR, hypoglycemia, hypoalbuminemia, metabolic acidosis, electrolyte imbalance and anemia were associated with poorer survival. Elevated INR (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.17, 95 % CI: 0.03-0.87, p=0.034), hypoglycemia (HR: 0.48, 95 % CI: 0.25-0.91, p=0.026) and hypoalbuminemia (HR: 0.09, 95 % CI: 0.03-0.26, p<0.001) were the independent prognostic factors for survival after adjusting for confounding factors. For the prediction of survival, INR, glucose, and albumin were used to structure a novel index (IGAm = INR-Glucose-Albumin metabolic index). The median survival was shorter in the IGAm-high group (2 or 3 points) than in the IGAm-low group (p<0.001). Harrell's c-index was 0.73 for the IGAm index. CONCLUSIONS: The devised novel IGAm index can predict long-term survival in patients with IMDs, with a high IGAm index being associated with higher mortality in patients with IMDs.

Hypoalbuminaemia as a Marker of Severity of Patients of Community Acquired Pneumonia.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common presentation with an acute infection of the pulmonary parenchyma occurring in the community level. Despite the availability of potent antibiotics, it remains as a serious illness with significant morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. This study was undertaken to determine the relation between serum Albumin and severity of CAP. This was a cross sectional descriptive study which was carried out in the Department of Medicine of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH), Bangladesh from July 2019 to December 2019. The sample size was 67. Purposive sampling technique was employed. Patients of community acquired pneumonia (CAP), aged ≥14 years of both sex with recently developed radiological pulmonary shadowing with compatible clinical symptoms and signs were included. Patients who were chronically immunosuppressed, with chronic starvation, advanced liver disease or chronic kidney disease with or without receiving haemodialysis were excluded. Data analysis was done by SPSS software for Windows (version 23.0). The mean age 65.7±15.3 years, majority 13(19.4%) patients had chronic lung disease, 12(17.9%) had diabetes mellitus, 9(13.4%) had heart failure, 6(9.0%) had cerebrovascular disease, 6(9.0%) had neoplastic disease and 5(7.5%) had chronic renal failure. Majority 22(32.8%) patients had CURB-65 score 3, out of which 12(54.5%) had albumin level <20g/l, 9(40.9%) had albumin level 20.0-24.9g/l and 1(4.5%) had albumin level 25-29g/l. 17(25.4%) had score 4-5 out of which 10(58.8%) had albumin level <20g/l and 7(41.2%) had albumin level 20.0-24.9g/l, 15(22.4%) had score 2 and 13(19.4%) had score 0-1. Negative significant correction (r=-0.782; p=0.001) was found between CURB-65 score and albumin level. Significant number of patients with severe CAP show low serum albumin level at admission which is statistically significant when compared with CURB-65 score. Thus hypoalbuminaemia may be a good marker of severity of patients with CAP.

Serum albumin and prognosis in elderly patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: Hypoalbuminemia was extensively used to diagnose malnutrition in older adults. Malnutrition was associated with mortality in elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between hypoalbuminemia and clinical outcomes in elderly patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) remains unknown. METHODS: A total of 1058 consecutive patients with NIDCM (age ≥60 years) were retrospectively enrolled from January 2010 to December 2019. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association of hypoalbuminemia with clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Patients with hypoalbuminemia were older (69.29 ±â€Š6.67 vs. 67.61 ±â€Š5.90 years, P  < 0.001) and had higher prevalence of in-hospital and long-term death than those without (6.9 vs. 1.7%, 50.7 vs. 35.2%, P  < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that hypoalbuminemia was significantly related to in-hospital death [odds ratio (OR): 4.334, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.185-8.597, P  < 0.001]. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with hypoalbuminemia had worse prognosis than those with nonhypoalbuminemia (log-rank χ2 28.96, P  < 0.001). After adjusting for age, serum creatinine, HDL-C, AST/ALT hypoalbuminemia, LVEF and diabetes, hypoalbuminemia remained an independent predictor for long-term death (hazard ratio 1.322, 95% CI 0.046-1.670, P  = 0.019). CONCLUSION: Hypoalbuminemia was associated with increased risk of in-hospital and long-term mortality in elderly patients with NIDCM.

Congenital analbuminemia associated with compound heterozygous novel nucleotide variations in a young adult with coronary thrombosis.

Congenital analbuminemia (CAA) is a very rare genetic disorder characterized by a significant reduced or even complete absence of human serum albumin. Our data describe the clinical features and laboratory results of a case confirmed by mutation analysis of the albumin gene in a 35-year-old man presenting recurrent acute coronary syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, only two cases of coronary artery disease have been reported worldwide without recurrence. Our findings contribute to shed light on the clinical characteristics and biochemical parameters of this disease and confirm that cardiovascular complications must be taken seriously in this pathology. Mutational screening disclosed two novel compound heterozygous nucleotide variations located in intron 12 and in 3'UTR. The prediction of the functional and structural impact of the reported variations using different bioinformatics tools demonstrates that these genetics variations affect RNA transcription and mRNA folding.

A case of ischemic stroke associated with protein-losing gastroenteropathy and protein S deficiency.

Protein-losing gastroenteropathies are characterized by an excessive loss of serum proteins into the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in hypoalbuminemia. Some rare cases are complicated with ischemic stroke. We report a 24-year-old woman who developed acute dysarthria and right hemiplegia 4 months after delivering her first baby by cesarean section. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed a high-intensity signal in the left anterior cerebral artery territory and middle cerebral artery territory. She had marked hypoalbuminemia and decreased protein S activity. We identified protein-losing gastroenteropathy as the cause of the hypoalbuminemia, and she had a missense mutation of the PROS 1 gene, which was associated with decreased protein S activity. We speculated that the development of protein-losing gastroenteropathy accelerated the decline in protein S activity and caused cerebral infarction.

Congenital analbuminaemia: A case report.

Congenital analbuminaemia (CAA) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder in which affected individuals have absent or extremely low levels of serum albumin. Adults with this condition are mostly asymptomatic. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case of congenital analbuminaemia reported in Pakistan. While being treated for acute respiratory tract infection, a very low albumin level was incidentally detected. This lead to further investigations and eventually the diagnosis was made. The complication of hyperlipidaemia associated with this disease was present in our patient. However, with subsequent treatment by intravenous albumin infusion, the serum albumin level and hyperlipidaemia improved. In this case report, we highlight the importance of diagnosing and treating this condition in adults at an early stage. This prevents complications that have been known to occur in this disease which include hypercholesterolaemia, hyperlipidaemia and recurrent respiratory tract infections. Rarely, it may be complicated by hypercoagulability and osteoporosis.

Direct Application of 3-Maleimido-PROXYL for Proving Hypoalbuminemia in Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The Potential Diagnostic Method of Determining Albumin Instability and Oxidized Protein Level in Severe COVID-19.

Oxidative stress and the albumin oxidized form can lead to hypoalbuminemia, which is a predisposing factor for reduced treatment effectiveness and an increased mortality rate in severe COVID-19 patients. The aim of the study is to evaluate the application of free radical 3-Maleimido-PROXYL and SDSL-EPR spectroscopy in the in vitro determination of ox/red HSA in serum samples from patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Venous blood was collected from patients intubated (pO2 < 90%) with a positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 and controls. At the 120th minute after the incubation of the serum samples from both groups with the 3-Maleimido-PROXYL, the EPR measurement was started. The high levels of free radicals were determined through the nitroxide radical TEMPOL, which probably led to increased oxidation of HSA and hypoalbuminemia in severe COVID-19. The double-integrated spectra of 3-Maleimido-PROXYL radical showed a low degree of connectivity due to high levels of oxidized albumin in COVID-19 patients. The low concentrations of reduced albumin in serum samples partially inhibit spin-label rotation, with Amax values and ΔH0 spectral parameters comparable to those of 3-Maleimido-PROXYL/DMSO. Based on the obtained results, we suggest that the stable nitroxide radical 3-Maleimido-PROXYL can be successfully used as a marker to study oxidized albumin levels in COVID-19.

Risk of Surgical Intervention in Children with Diagnoses of Cancer and Preoperative Malnutrition: A National Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative nutrition is a critical component of appropriate healing and recovery after surgery. We sought to identify perioperative risk in children with cancer and low preoperative hypoalbuminemia undergoing surgical intervention. METHODS: We queried the 2015-2019 NSQIP-Peds datasets for children with a primary diagnosis of renal or hepatic malignancy undergoing surgical resection. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated for comparative risk between patients with low albumin (albumin<3.0 g/dL) and normal albumin within 30 days of their surgical procedure. Univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to identify perioperative risk in patients with hypoalbuminemia. RESULTS: We identified 360 children with primary diagnosis of hepatic malignancy and 896 children with renal malignancy undergoing surgical resection. Of these, 77 children had hypoalbuminemia. Patients with renal or hepatic malignancy diagnosis and low albumin levels were more likely to experience postoperative dehiscence, need for TPN at discharge, postoperative bleeding or transfusion, unplanned reoperation, and unplanned readmission, based on univariate analysis (all P > 0.05). Postoperative bleeding, need for nutritional support at discharge, and unplanned readmission were each associated with hypoalbuminemia. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that low preoperative albumin is associated with significant perioperative risk. More attention should focus on perioperative nutritional status of children with cancer who are undergoing major resections.

Use of Albumin in the NICU: An Evidence-based Review.

Albumin is the most abundant protein in human blood with distinctive functions throughout the human body. Low albumin levels are a predictor of mortality as well as disease outcome in children and adults. However, the clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia and the role of albumin infusions in NICUs remain unclear and controversial.

Simple Clinical Screening Underestimates Malnutrition in Surgical Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease-An ACS NSQIP Analysis.

The present large scale study aimed to assess the prevalence and consequences of malnutrition, based on clinical assessment (body mass index and preoperative weight loss) and severe hypoalbuminemia (<3.1 g/L), in a representative US cohort undergoing IBD surgery. The American College of Surgeons National Quality improvement program (ACS-NSQIP) Public User Files (PUF) between 2005 and 2018 were assessed. A total of 25,431 patients were identified. Of those, 6560 (25.8%) patients had severe hypoalbuminemia, 380 (1.5%) patients met ESPEN 2 criteria (≥10% weight loss over 6 months PLUS BMI < 20 kg/m2 in patients <70 years OR BMI < 22 kg/m2 in patients ≥70 years), and 671 (2.6%) patients met both criteria (severe hypoalbuminemia and ESPEN 2). Patients who presented with malnutrition according to any of the three definitions had higher rates of overall, minor, major, surgical, and medical complications, longer LOS, higher mortality and higher rates of readmission and reoperation. The simple clinical assessment of malnutrition based on BMI and weight loss only, considerably underestimates its true prevalence of up to 50% in surgical IBD patients and calls for dedicated nutritional assessment.

Gestational Age-Dependent Reference Ranges for Albumin Levels in Cord Serum.

BACKGROUND: To diagnose hypoalbuminemia in newborns, it is essential to establish a definition applicable to those with a different gestational age (GA) and clinical conditions. A positive correlation between serum albumin levels and GA has been reported, but the study was limited to small numbers of newborns. We therefore investigated the GA-dependent reference ranges for serum albumin levels using cord venous blood (UC-Alb levels) from a large number of newborns delivered at a tertiary perinatal center. METHODS: Albumin levels were assessed in 2,917 newborns at 22-41 weeks of GA after exclusion of those with congenital disorders. Linear regression analysis was used to correlate GA and UC-Alb levels. After calculation of the percentile values of UC-Alb levels for each week of GA, the distributions were approximated by the least-squares method. To validate the determined linear approximation of the 5%ile value, the UC-Alb levels in newborns with hydrops fetalis and gastroschisis were used. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation between GA and UC-Alb levels was found (rs = 0.701, p < 0.001, respectively). The distribution of the 5%ile of UC-Alb levels (Y) by GA (X) was approximated as a straight line (Y = 0.062 × X + 0.326, R2 = 0.951). Among the 59 and 18 newborns with hydrops fetalis and gastroschisis, 51 (86.4%) and 15 (83.3%), respectively, were below the line. CONCLUSIONS: We established GA-dependent reference ranges for serum albumin levels, which may be useful to accurately diagnose hypoalbuminemia in newborns.

Association between postoperative hypoalbuminemia and postoperative pulmonary imaging abnormalities patients undergoing craniotomy for brain tumors: a retrospective cohort study.

Hypoalbuminemia is associated with poor outcome in patients undergoing surgery intervention. The main aim for this study was to investigate the incidence and the risk factors of postoperative hypoalbuminemia and assessed the impact of postoperative hypoalbuminemia on complications in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery. This retrospective study included 372 consecutive patients who underwent brain tumors surgery from January 2017 to December 2019. The patients were divided into hypoalbuminemia (< 35 g/L) and non-hypoalbuminemia group (≥ 35 g/L) based on postoperative albumin levels. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine risk factors. Of the total 372 patients, 333 (89.5%) developed hypoalbuminemia after surgery. Hypoalbuminemia was associated with operation time (OR 1.011, P < 0.001), preoperative albumin (OR 0.864, P = 0.015) and peroperative globulin (OR 1.192, P = 0.004). Postoperative pulmonary imaging abnormalities had a higher incidence in patients with than without hypoalbuminemia (41.1% vs 23.1%, P = 0.029). The independent predictors of postoperative pulmonary imaging abnormalities were age (OR 1.053, P < 0.001), operation time (OR 1.003, P = 0.013) and lower postoperative albumin (OR 0.946, P = 0.018). Pulmonary imaging abnormalities [OR 19.862 (95% CI 2.546-154.936, P = 0.004)] was a novel independent predictors of postoperative pneumonia. Postoperative hypoalbuminemia has a higher incidence with the increase of operation time, and may be associated with postoperative complications in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery.

Independent and joint effects of high-sensitivity c-reactive protein and hypoalbuminemia on long-term all-cause mortality among coronary artery disease: a prospective and multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) plays an important role in hypoalbuminemia as a representative of inflammation, which is closely associated with poor prognosis among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The present study aimed to evaluate the independent and joint effects of high hs-CRP levels and hypoalbuminemia on long-term mortality among CAD patients. METHODS: A total of 1449 CAD patients were included from a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study (REICIN, NCT01402232) of patients referred for coronary angiography (CAG). The primary endpoint was long-term all-cause death. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 2.9 (2.0-3.0) years, a total of 107 (7.4%) patients died. The long-term mortality was higher among CAD patients with high hs-CRP levels (> 3 mg/L) than those with the low hs-CRP levels (≤ 3 mg/L; 10.7% versus 4.1%; hazard ratio [HR] 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-4.17). Similarly, CAD patients with hypoalbuminemia had higher mortality than those without hypoalbuminemia (12.2% versus 4.9%; HR 1.93; 95% CI 1.20-3.08). When hs-CRP and albumin were combined, CAD patients with high hs-CRP levels (> 3 mg/L) and with hypoalbuminemia were at the highest risk of death compared with their reference group (hs-CRP ≤ 3 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L; HR 3.79; 95% CI 1.91-7.52). CONCLUSIONS: High hs-CRP levels and hypoalbuminemia were independently and jointly associated with long-term mortality among CAD patients. Patients with high hs-CRP levels and hypoalbuminemia had the highest risk of long-term mortality compared with other groups.

Predictive value of hypoalbuminemia and severe hypoalbuminemia in oncologic spine surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of a prospectively collected national database. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive value of hypoalbuminemia on outcomes in surgical spine oncology patients. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: It is well documented that patients with hypoalbuminemia (albumin <3.5) have significantly higher rates of surgical morbidity and mortality than patients with normal albumin (>3.5 g/dl). We evaluated outcomes for metastatic oncologic spine surgery patients based on pre-operative albumin levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for metastatic spine disease were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2006 to 2016. Three groups were established: patients with normal albumin (>3.5 g/dl), mild hypoalbuminemia (2.6 g/dl - 3.4 g/dl), and severe hypoalbuminemia (<=2.5 g/dl). A multivariate analysis was used to assess the association between albumin levels and mortality within 30 days of surgical intervention. RESULTS: A total of 700 patients who underwent surgery for metastatic spinal disease and had pre-operative albumin levels available were identified; 64.0% had normal albumin (>3.5 g/dl), 29.6% had mild hypoalbuminemia, and 6.4% had severe hypoalbuminemia. The overall 30-day mortality was 7.6% for patients with normal albumin, 15.9% for patients with mild hypoalbuminemia, and 44.4% for patients with severe hypoalbuminemia. On multivariate analysis, patients with mild hypoalbuminemia (OR 1.7 95% CI: 1.0-3.0 p = 0.05) and severe hypoalbuminemia (OR 6.2 95% CI: 2.8-13.5 p < 0.001) were more likely to expire within 30 days compared to patients with preoperative albumin above 3.5 g/dl. CONCLUSION: In this study, albumin level was found to be an independent predictor of 30-day mortality in patients who underwent operative intervention for metastatic spinal disease. Patients with severe hypoalbuminemia had a 7-fold increased risk when compared with those who had normal albumin. While these findings need to be validated by future studies, we believe they will prove useful for preoperative risk stratification and surgical decision-making.

Prognostic properties of hypoalbuminemia in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and diagnostic meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) elicits robust inflammatory reaction that may result in a declining albumin serum level. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic properties of hypoalbuminemia for poor prognosis and factors that may influence the relationship. METHOD: A systematic literature search of PubMed was conducted from inception to April 22, 2021. The main exposure was albumin level below normal range-defined by the included studies. The outcome of interest was composite poor outcome that comprises of mortality, severity, and the requirement of mechanical ventilation or intensive care unit. RESULTS: There were 6200 patients from 19 studies. Meta-analysis showed that hypoalbuminemia was associated with composite poor outcome (OR 6.97 (95% CI 4.20-11.55), p < 0.001; I2 = 91.3%, p < 0.001). Meta-regression analysis showed that age (p = 0.44), gender (p = 0.76), HT (p = 0.97), DM (p = 0.40), CKD (p = 0.65), liver disease (p = 0.72), and malignancy (p = 0.84) did not affect the association. Subgroup analysis showed that hypoalbuminemia increased mortality (OR 6.26 (95% CI 3.26-12.04), p < 0.001; I2 = 69.6%, p < 0.01) and severity of the disease (OR 7.32 (95%CI 3.94-13.59), p < 0.001; I2 = 92.5%, p < 0.01). Pooled diagnostic analysis of hypoalbuminemia yielded a sensitivity of 0.63 (95% CI 0.52-0.72), specificity of 0.81 (95% CI 0.73-0.87), and AUC of 0.77. The probability of poor outcome was 70% in patients with hypoalbuminemia and 24% in patients with normal albumin level. CONCLUSION: Hypoalbuminemia was associated with poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.

Hypoalbuminemia is Associated with Mortality in Patients Undergoing Lower Extremity Amputation.

BACKGROUND: Poor nutritional status is common among patients undergoing lower extremity amputation (LEA). In this study, the association between preoperative hypoalbuminemia, a marker for malnutrition, and postoperative mortality in patients undergoing LEA was explored. METHODS: Data on patients undergoing LEA between 2005 and 2017 were retrospectively analyzed from the prospectively collected American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients were divided into clinically relevant categories based on their serum albumin level (<2.5, 2.5-3.39, ≥3.4 g/dl) and were further stratified according to amputation level. Operative death was compared across groups and multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate risk-adjusted odds ratio (AOR). RESULTS: In 35,383 patients, the rate of 30-day postoperative mortality was 7.6% (n = 2693). Mortality rate was highest in patients with very low albumin levels (11%) as compared to low (6.8%) and normal levels (3.9%). On multivariable analysis, lower albumin levels emerged as a risk-adjusted independent predictor of mortality. After risk-adjustment, patients with very low albumin levels (AOR [95% CI]: 2.25 [1.969-2.56], P < 0.001) and low albumin levels (AOR [95% CI]: 1.42 [1.239-1.616], P < 0.001) had higher odds of mortality when compared to patients with normal albumin levels. On sensitivity analysis, a similar trend was seen in patients undergoing above knee amputation but not in patients undergoing minor amputations. CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing major LEA, hypoalbuminemia is associated with an increased risk of postoperative mortality in a dose response manner, specifically in above knee amputations. Monitoring and optimizing patients' nutritional status before surgery, when possible, may be warranted and should be further explored.