Comparison between procalcitonin and C-reactive protein for early diagnosis of children with sepsis or septic shock.

Objective And Design: The objective of the paper is to examine the behavior of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in the first 12 h of admission and verify which performs better to differentiate children with septic conditions.

Subjects: Septic children aged between 28 days and 14 years were divided into sepsis (SG; n = 46) and septic shock (SSG; n = 41) groups. CRP and PCT were measured at admission (T0) and 12 h later (T12 h). PCT results were classed as: 0.5 ng/ml = sepsis unlikely; >or=0.5 to <2 = sepsis possible; >or=2 to <10 = systemic inflammation; >or=10 = septic shock.

Results: At T0, there was a higher frequency of SSG with PCT >10 compared to SG [SSG: 30 (73.1%) > SG: 14 (30.4%); P < 0.05]. Similar results were observed at T12 h. Pediatric Risk of Mortality I score was significantly higher for SSG patients with higher PCT than SG patients. CRP levels were not statistically different for groups and time points.

Conclusions: PCT was better than CRP for diagnosing sepsis and septic shock, mainly at admission, and is related to disease severity.