Diagnostic and prognostic value of serum S100B in sepsis-associated encephalopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: In sepsis, brain dysfunction is known as Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), which often results in severe cognitive and neurological sequelae and increases the risk of death. Our systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) in SAE patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane databases, CNKI, VIP, and WFSD from their inception dates until August 20, 2022. A Meta-analysis of the included studies was also performed using Review Manager version 5.4 and Stata16.0. Results: This meta-analysis included 28 studies with 1401 serum samples from SAE patients and 1591 serum samples from no-encephalopathy septic (NE) patients. The Meta-Analysis showed that individuals with SAE had higher serum S100B level than NE controls (MD, 0.49 [95% CI (0.37)-(0.60), Z =8.29, P < 0.00001]), and the baseline level of serum S100B in septic patients with burn was significantly higher than average (1.96 [95% CI (0.92)-(2.99), Z =3.71, P < 0.0002]) In addition, septic patients with favorable outcomes had lower serum S100B levels than those with unfavorable outcomes (MD, -0.35 [95% CI (-0.50)-(-0.20), Z =4.60, P < 0.00001]). Conclusion: Our Meta-Analysis indicates that higher serum S100B level in septic patients are moderately associated with SAE and unfavorable outcomes (The outcomes here mainly refer to the mortality). The serum S100B level may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of SAE.