Clinical significance of serum procalcitonin level monitoring on early diagnosis of severe pneumonia on children

F. Zhu, Z. Jiang, W.-H. Li, H.-Y. Wei, G.-D. Su

Department of Emergency Medicine, Xuzhou Children’s Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China. liweihua1975@126.com

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• Respiratory Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the method for early diagnosis of severe pneumonia on children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-six children with severe pneumonia were enrolled from Department of Pediatrics and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of our hospital and divided into two groups according to parasitological detection: bacterial pneumonia group consisting of 34 children patients and non-bacterial pneumonia group of 32 children patients. In the meanwhile, 37 healthy children, who were confirmed without infection through physical examination, were also enrolled and grouped in into normal control group. Peripheral venous blood of all children was collected to detect their procalcitonin (PCT).

RESULTS: PCT level of patients in bacterial pneumonia group was significantly higher than that in the non-bacterial pneumonia group and control group, and difference had statistical significance (p < 0.01); serum PCT level on patients in bacterial pneumonia group before and after treatment had statistical significance (p < 0.01); serum PCT level on patients in non-bacterial pneumonia group before and after treatment had no statistical significance (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: PCT was a very important biomarker for the diagnosis of bacterial infection and also a sensitive indicator for the distinction of child bacterial pneumonia and non-bacterial pneumonia. It had significant clinical diagnosis and differential diagnosis value.

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