Abstract
<jats:p>This article has critically analyzed the use of biomarkers in prediction of early severity and outcome measures of pneumonia among children. One of the significant health issues globally until recently is the pneumonia of childhood especially in children below the age of five where early diagnosis on serious disease has led to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Conventional clinical evaluation procedures have been found to be poor in reflecting sudden degradation, and this fact necessitates the use of objective biological data. This paper has summarized the recent evidence on traditional inflammatory biomarkers like C-reactive protein and procalcitonin, cytokines like interleukin6 and tumor necrosis factor-TNF-α, hematologic indices, oxidative stress biomarkers, tissue injury biomarkers, like lactate, and genetic susceptibility factors, especially GSTT1 polymorphism. The results have revealed that high concentrations of procalcitonin, interleukin-6, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and lactate have been significantly related with ICU placement, the need of mechanical ventilation, the increase of the hospitalization, and the risk of mortality. Moreover, multi-biomarker strategies have been demonstrated to predict importance more effectively than single-marker strategies, and to contribute to better risk stratification at early stages and more patient-centered treatment of childhood pneumonia</jats:p>