CXCL5 as a biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis: A comprehensive clinical evaluation

•CXCL5 serves as a pivotal biomarker for the diagnosis, severity assessment, and prognosis of sepsis.•CXCL5 shows promising diagnostic potential in distinguishing between infectious and non-infectious inflammation.•The prognostic model incorporating CXCL5 demonstrates high predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.873) and potential clinical utility. Sepsis, a critical condition caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, has high morbidity and mortality rates. Timely diagnosis and treatment are vital for improving patient outcomes. This study explores the potential role of CXCL5 in the diagnosis, severity assessment, and prognosis of sepsis. We included 147 sepsis patients, 50 patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and 120 healthy controls. Serum CXCL5 levels, inflammation scores (APACHE II, SOFA), and other laboratory indicators were recorded. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between CXCL5 and sepsis diagnosis, severity, and prognosis. A prognostic nomogram was constructed and evaluated using receiver operator characteristic curves, calibration curves, and clinical decision curves. Serum CXCL5 levels in sepsis patients were significantly higher than those in patients with SIRS and healthy controls. CXCL5 was identified as a risk factor for sepsis diagnosis. CXCL5 levels were significantly elevated in patients with septic shock (P = 0.04) and in deceased patients compared to survivors (P