Procalcitonin (PCT) is a substance in the blood that indicates a bacterial infection. Testing procalcitonin levels allows for early diagnosis of infection, even when no symptoms are present yet. This allows you to quickly apply effective treatment and increase the chances of recovery. Find out what the procalcitonin (PCT) test is about, what the standards are and how to interpret the test results.

Procalcitonin (PCT)is a marker of bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections, ie a substance found in the blood of people struggling with this type of infection. With PCT, it is possible to detect a developing infection in its latent phase, before any symptoms appear.

Controlling PCT levels is in some cases more prognostic than other inflammatory parameters such as leukocytosis, C-reactive protein (CRP), ESR, and body temperature.

In the most severely ill patients, an increase in leukocytosis or an increase in C-reactive protein concentration occurs in the late stage of infection. And such a popular symptom as an increase in body temperature is not always noticed.

Procalcitonin (PCT) - indications

  • early diagnosis of bacterial infections and differentiation of their severity, incl. sepsis, pneumonia, inflammation of the urinary tract, as well as fungal and parasitic infections

Testing the level of procalcitonin allows for early diagnosis of the infection and assessment of the advancement of the disease process.

  • distinguish between severe bacterial and viral infections, especially in meningitis
  • monitoring the infection and checking if treatment is effective
  • after surgery, transplantation, during immunosuppression and in other patients at increased risk of developing infection
  • differentiation of infections in newborns
  • acute pancreatitis
  • generalized infection in children with urinary tract infection.

Read also: Tumor markers (tumor antigens) - substances present in the blood of cancer patients

Procalcitonin (PCT) - what is the test about

The test consists of taking blood or cerebrospinal fluid (with meningitisspinal cord) and tested in a laboratory. In the event of blood collection, the patient should be fasting.

Important

Procalcitonin (PCT) - standards

In he althy people, the concentration of PCT in the blood serum is low ( <0,1 ng/mL), natomiast stężenie przekraczające wartość 0,5 ng/mL jest charakterystyczne dla infekcji bakteryjnej. Istnieje ścisły związek między stężeniem PCT a ciężkością infekcji, wraz z postępem infekcji stwierdza się wzrost wartości PCT. W przypadku zakażenia ogólnoustrojowego i posoczniczy stężenie prokalcytoniny może być znacznie wyższe.

These norms do not apply to newborns in the first two days of life, because then the PCT values ​​are physiologically elevated.

Procalcitonin (PCT) - interpretation of results

Results in the 0.5-2 ng / mL range may indicate organ-limited bacterial infection. A slight increase in the level ofprocalcitoninis also observed inin neoplastic diseases . A temporary increase in PCT concentration also occurs after myocardial infarction, mechanical injuries, burns, and surgery. It is also characteristic of he althy newborns from .6 hours after birth to the third day.

In turn, a significant increase in PCT concentration>2ng / ml may indicate:

Levelprocalcitonin does notincrease in infections caused by viruses.

  • generalized bacterial infection
  • multi-organ disorder syndrome
  • fungal infection
  • malaria - it is a tropical parasitic disease

This level of procalcitonin may also occur in he althy newborns between 6 and 42 hours of age.

Procalcitonin levels up to 1000 ng / ml occur in the course of sepsis (systemic infection caused by bacteria).

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