calca-protein--human and Gastroenteritis

There is no hematological marker that reliably differentiates between bacterial and nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis (AGE). The objective of this study is to evaluate procalcitonin (PCT) as a marker for bacterial AGE and analyze its relationship with hospital admission.. A prospective study of children diagnosed with AGE was conducted at the emergency room during a period of seven months, which required blood and stool samples. Epidemiological, clinical and analytical variables were analyzed. Patients with chronic digestive disease, prolonged diarrhea, immunodeficiency or prior antibiotic treatment were excluded. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee and an informed consent was requested.. 45 patients were analyzed. Children with bacterial GEA were older (p=0.027) and presented higher median PCT and C-reactive protein concentrations (CRP) (p=0.001). The PCT and CRP values that best discriminated bacterial infection were PCT≥0.05 mg/L (sensibility 64.3%, specificity 83.9%, positive probability coefficient (PPC): 4), and CRP≥3 mg/dL (sensibility 78.6%, specificity 90.3%, PPC: 8). No association between the elevation of these markers and higher hospitalization probability was found.. Procalcitonin, like CRP, is elevated in bacterial gastroenteritis (p=0.001), but these markers are not a predictor of hospitalization.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Bacterial Infections; Biomarkers; C-Reactive Protein; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Gastroenteritis; Hospitalization; Humans; Infant; Male; Prospective Studies; Protein Precursors; Sensitivity and Specificity

We have evaluated procalcitonin (PCT) as a diagnostic marker for bacterial gastroenteritis (GE) and as a disease activity marker in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.. This was a prospective single-center study performed over a 1-year period. Venous blood samples were drawn from hospitalized patients with acute GE and tested for PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and total white cell count (TWC); stools from the same patients were tested for standard pathogens. Venous blood samples from patients with IBD were tested for PCT, CRP, ESR, and platelet count. The PCT level was measured using an immunofluorescent assay, with normal being defined as <0.5 ng/ml.. The GE arm of study consisted of 81 patients, 18.5% of whom were diagnosed with bacterial GE. The PCT and CRP levels were good diagnostic markers of bacterial GE, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.727 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.580-0.874] and 0.786 (95% CI 0.627-0.946), respectively. An elevated PCT > or =0.5 ng/ml was associated with a 13-fold increased risk of renal impairment. The IBD arm of study consisted of 72 IBD patients. The PCT levels were not significantly different between active and inactive IBD in this patient cohort.. Our results indicate that PCT and CRP are comparably good diagnostic markers of bacterial GE but that PCT is not useful as in monitoring disease activity in patients with IBD.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biomarkers; Blood Sedimentation; C-Reactive Protein; Calcitonin; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Female; Gastroenteritis; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Leukocyte Count; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Protein Precursors; ROC Curve; Salmonella; Young Adult