Serum Procalcitonin as a Diagnostic Biomarker for Bacterial Infection in Febrile Children

Abstract

Introduction and Research Problem: Fever is one of the most common presenting sign of illnesses in pediatric practice. There is no precise test to diagnose bacterial infection rather than blood culture that often has delay results. Our aim is to prove that Procalcitonin is useful in early detection of acute bacterial infection compared to blood culture and CRP in its sensitivity. Materials and methods: In this prospective cohort study, Any sick patient ranging in age from over 1 month to 18 years of age who have a temperature over 38°C was considered at risk of having bacterial infection and were considered eligible for inclusion. Children with recent surgeries, chronic disease, immunodeficiency or took antibiotic within 10 days of presentation, were excluded. also children with important data insufficiency due to incomplete blood measurements were excluded as well. These patients were screened for bacterial infection and we collected demographic data, vital signs, medical histories, reasons for admission and the available laboratory and radiology test results related to their admission.