Aim: The differential diagnosis of paediatric patients admitted to the emergency department presenting with acute abdominal pain may be difficult. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA) in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in children and in distinguishing surgical from non-surgical cases.
Methods: The study was conducted with a total of 152 subjects who provided informed consent, including 112 patients admitted to the paediatric emergency department and paediatric surgical clinic and 40 healthy control subjects. Blood samples were collected after initial examination to determine IMA, white blood cell (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) values.
Results: Mean IMA values of patients with acute appendicitis (AA), perforated appendicitis (PA) and non-specific abdominal pain were significantly higher compared to the control group. Mean IMA values of the AA and PA cases were also significantly higher compared to the group with non-specific abdominal pain. No significant difference was determined in mean IMA between the AA and PA groups. WBC and CRP levels of the AA and PA groups were significantly higher compared to the group with non-specific abdominal pain.
Conclusion: Our study shows that IMA, together with WBC and CRP, may be a biomarker capable of assisting the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in children and distinguishing surgical from non-surgical cases.
Keywords: acute abdomen; appendicitis; ischaemia-modified albumin; paediatrics.
© 2019 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).