The diagnostic value of C-X-C motif chemokine 8 in elderly patients with bacterial upper respiratory tract infections and its correlation with prognosis

Objective This study aimed to further investigate the correlation between C-X-C motif chemokine 8‌ (CXCL8) and the prognosis of bacterial upper respiratory tract infections (BURTIs) in the elderly population (≥65 years) and to evaluate its potential as a clinical biomarker in this specific high-risk cohort. Methods A total of 58 elderly patients with BURTIs admitted to our hospital between January 2023 and June 2023 (observation group) and 42 healthy individuals (control group) who underwent physical examinations concurrently were selected as the research subjects. Peripheral blood CXCL8 levels were measured in both the observation and control groups at admission and reassessed in the observation group after treatment to determine differences in CXCL8 between groups and changes in CXCL8 before and after treatment in the observation group. The correlation of CXCL8 with BURTI clinical effectiveness was analyzed. Subsequently, BURTI patients were followed up for 1 year, and the effect of post-treatment CXCL8 expression on the prognostic recurrence of BURTIs was evaluated. Results The CXCL8 in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (89.67 ± 8.33 pg./mL vs. 71.20 ± 10.88 pg./mL) and decreased after treatment ( p 0.05). Patients with recurrence showed higher CXCL8 levels than those without (78.44 ± 8.84 pg./mL vs. 69.67 ± 5.51 pg./mL, p 0.05). According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, CXCL8 exhibited excellent effects on the occurrence and prognostic recurrence of BURTIs (AUC = 0.788). Conclusion CXCL8 is elevated in elderly patients with BURTIs, demonstrating good evaluation effects on the occurrence and prognostic recurrence of BURTIs. However, these findings position CXCL8 as a promising biomarker for guiding personalized treatment in elderly BURTI patients, though further validation and integration with clinical scores are needed to improve risk stratification.