Background: Early detection of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) is crucial
for timely intervention and management. Serum pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has emerged as a potential biomarker for
inflammatory diseases, but its association with PH in the context of CHD has not been thoroughly investigated.
Objective: To estimate serum PTX3 levels in CHD infants for early detection of PH and to correlate its level with the
severity of PH.
Methods: This case-control study involved 80 infants, divided into 50 with CHD (further subdivided into (Group IA)
30 with PH and (Group IB) 20 without PH) and 30 healthy controls. Diagnosis of CHD and PH was confirmed via
echocardiography, with PH severity graded according to established criteria. Serum PTX3 levels were measured using
ELISA.
Results: Infants with CHD and PH (Group IA) exhibited significantly higher serum PTX3 levels (mean ± SD, 8.22 ±
4.38 ng/ml) compared to those with CHD without PH (Group IB) and healthy controls (3.91 ± 1.78 ng/ml, P