Anest. intenziv. Med. 2002;13(2):83-85

Prokalcitonin - the Sensitive and Specific Marker of Severe Bacterial IntlammationArticles

M. Průcha¹, R. Zazula², J. Hyánek¹

¹ Oddělení klinické biochemie, hematologie a imunologie, Nemocnice Na Homolce, přednosta prof. MUDr. Josef Hyánek, DrSc.

² Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzívní péče, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, přednosta MUDr. Roman Zazula, PhD.

The differential diagnosis of infectious and noninfectious ethiology of an injlammation is difficult problem in many clinical situations. In the nineties new important marker - procalcitonin - appears. Although its physiological role and regulation of its production is not sufficiently explained, procalcitonin has been shown to be important, sensitive and specific marker of the bacterial infection triggering a systemicinjlammatory reaction in the body. Nowadays procalcitonin is believed to be more specific marker of the severity of sepsis than interleukin-h or C-reactive protein. The determination of procalcitonin concentration is of important value for the diagnostic algorithm in critically ill patienxs and for antibiotic therapy.

Keywords: procalcitonin; sepsis; systemic injlammatory response syndrom; differential diagnosis

Published: April 1, 2002  Show citation