Diagnostic Value of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein in Diagnosis of Severe Infection in Febrile Neutropenic Patients



Meidani M¹ ; Abolghasemi H² ; Khorvash F³ Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Isfahan Medical School Published:2012

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of febrile neutropenic patients in Seyed-Alshohada Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) during 2010-11. Methods: This analytic cross-sectional study included all febrile neutropenic patients (n = 64) who were admitted in Seyed-Alshohada Hospital during 2010-11. Sex, age, admission time, and duration of fever before taking antibiotics were collected. Patients were then divided to groups with and without severe infection. Findings: The mean levels of procalcitonin in the groups with and without severe infection were 28.65 ± 2.68 and 2.48 ± 0.66 ng/ml, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean levels of C-reactive protein in the groups with and without severe infection were 159.48 ± 9.73 and 126.17 ± 10.63, respectively (P = 0.015). Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity and specificity of procalcitonin were determined as 92.5% and 97.3%, respectively. The corresponding values for C-reactive protein were 70.5% and 42.1%. Conclusion: Procalcitonin can be considered as a predictor and diagnostic marker for diagnosis of severe infectious disease. It can also differentiate severe and non-severe disease in febrile neutropenic patients. Nevertheless, clinical signs and symptoms of the disease should also be considered.