Application of Serum Procalcitonin for Early Evaluation of Bacterial Infection Severity

Objective:To explore the value of serum procalcitonin(PCT)for early evaluation of the severity in bacterial infection and compare it with C reactive protein(CRP),white blood cell count(WBC),and temperature to understand their strength and weaknesses.Methods: A total of 139 patients with bacterial infection administered in our hospital from July 2009 to June 2010 were divided into 4 groups,including local bacterial infection group(Group A,n=50),sepsis group(Group B,n=51),severe sepsis group(Group C,n=21),and septic shock group(Group D,n=17) according to ACCP/SCCM consensus conference and the clinical manifestations.Twenty noninfectious patients during the same period were recruited as control(Group E,n=20).PCT,CRP,WBC,and temperature were evaluated in all patients before treatment and PCT were measured again 5 days after treatment.Results: During the early period of bacterial infection,PCT was the highest in Group D([42.36±48.49] ng/mL),followed by(4.66±2.46)ng/mL in Group C,(1.08±0.68) ng/mL in Group B,and(0.09±0.05)ng/mL in Group A(P0.05).PCT in the 4 infectious groups were all higher than that in Group E [(0.05±0.01)ng/mL,P0.05].No significant difference in CRP,WBC,and temperature was noted among all groups(P0.05).After 5-day treatment,PCT decreased in the 4 infectious groups than that before treatment(P0.01).Conclusion: The level of PCT can be used to evaluate the severity of bacterial infection at the early stage.This may be of help for monitoring the patient's condition.