MCQ Pathology Answer 3

Acute chest syndrome often develops rapidly in patients with sickle cell disease and results in substantial morbidity for these patients. Patients often present with few findings and then rapidly become critically ill. Previously, no predictors as to which patients will develop Acute chest syndrome have been identified, but our data indicate that Secretory phospholipase A2 elevation predicts impending Acute chest syndrome 24 to 48 hours before it is diagnosed clinically.

Elevated Secretory phospholipase A2 in combination with fever is particularly helpful in identifying patients who will develop Acute chest syndrome. Other, more traditional indicators of pulmonary disease, including chest pain, respiratory symptoms, and auscultatory findings, either occur too late or do not occur in many patients who will develop Acute chest syndrome .

Therefore, Secretory phospholipase A2 appears to be a useful parameter for the clinician following sickle cell disease patients with vaso-occlusive crisis .

Category: Pathology MCQs