LUMINEX technology detects plasma inflammatory factor expression levels in children with severe and non-severe community acquired pneumonia

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of LUMINEX technology in detecting plasma inflammatory factor expression levels (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10) in children with severe and non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), comparing its performance with traditional ELISA methods for disease severity assessment and prognosis prediction. METHODS: This study enrolled 72 pediatric patients diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia at our institution between January 2023 and December 2024, comprising 28 severe cases and 44 non-severe cases, along with 80 age-matched healthy controls. Inflammatory marker concentrations [interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10)] were quantified in plasma and serum samples using LUMINEX multiplex analysis and ELISA techniques. Comparative analyses examined inflammatory mediator expression patterns across disease severity groups and evaluated their diagnostic discrimination capacity, while prognostic assessments investigated the predictive value of plasma inflammatory markers. RESULTS: Comparative analysis revealed significantly elevated concentrations of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 in both plasma and serum samples from severe cases compared to non-severe patients (P < 0.05), with non-severe patients also showing higher levels than healthy controls (P < 0.05). Both LUMINEX-based plasma analysis and ELISA serum measurements demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy for severe pneumonia identification. Prognostic evaluation indicated that patients with unfavorable outcomes exhibited increased plasma inflammatory marker levels relative to those with favorable prognoses (P < 0.05). ROC analysis showed superior predictive performance for TNF-α and IL-10 (higher AUC values) compared to IL-1β in forecasting clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: The detection of plasma inflammatory cytokines in children with community-acquired pneumonia by LUMINEX technology is helpful to determine the condition and evaluate the prognosis of children, and it is worth promoting.