Patent ID: 7695972

Claim:
A method for diagnosing severe Systemic Inflammation Response Syndrome (severe SIRS) or septic shock involving an inflammatory reaction within a patient, wherein said method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a blood sample from said patient; (b) providing a plurality of control samples wherein each control sample contains a predetermined concentration of selenoprotein P as a control reference; (c) determining the concentration of selenoprotein P which is contained in the blood sample by measuring the amount of the selenoprotein P in the blood sample, and measuring the amount of the selenoprotein P in the control samples, and then comparing the measured amount in the blood sample to the measured amount in the control samples to determine the concentration of selenoprotein P in the blood sample, wherein the determination of the selenoprotein concentration is performed by an immunoassay using antibodies directed against selenoprotein P; and (d) diagnosing that said patient does not have severe SIRS or septic shock when the selenoprotein P plasma concentration which is determined at step (c) is equal to or higher than 40 nmol/L, and diagnosing that said patient has severe SIRS or septic shock when the selenoprotein P plasma concentration which is determined at step (c) is equal to or lower than 30 nmol/L.