Erschienen in:
01.06.2003 | Brief Report
Value of Monitoring Serum Procalcitonin in Neonates at Risk of Infection
verfasst von:
M. M. Koskenvuo, K. Irjala, A. Kinnala, O. Ruuskanen, P. Kero
Erschienen in:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
|
Ausgabe 6/2003
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Excerpt
Procalcitonin (PCT) is a 116-amino-acid peptide and precursor for calcitonin. High levels of PCT in serum have been reported in both adult and pediatric patients with severe bacterial infections [
1,
2,
3,
4], and the higher the serum level, the more severe the infection [
5]. In contrast, other investigators have observed a lack of specificity for PCT in the diagnosis of sepsis in premature infants [
6]. During the first days of life PCT levels vary daily even in non-infected, full-term infants [
7,
8]. Both C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and leukocyte counts lack sensitivity if measured early in the course of sepsis, which is when treatment should be initiated [
9]. …