Can serum procalcitonin be used for severity identification and guiding treatment of children admitted with community-acquired pneumonia? – A cross-sectional study
Abstract
Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in children under 5 years of age. Early diagnosis and effective management remain the cornerstone to reduce complications and fatalities associated with CAP. Lately, C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) have gained much attention as useful biomarkers in CAP. Recent data suggest that a very low PCT value has a high negative predictive value while identifying a population of children at low risk of typical bacterial infections. Hence, we propose to take up this study to assess the clinical utility of PCT in pediatric CAP.
Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to study serum PCT level in children with the clinical diagnosis of CAP admitted at R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and its role in severity identification and contribution in the treatment of CAP.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional hospital-based observational study was performed from January 2020 to June 2021 in the R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. A total of 50 children were included within the age group of 2 months–5 years with CAP admitted in the Children’s ward and intensive care unit at our hospital. Clinical characteristics such as age, sex, symptoms such as history of fever, difficulty feeding or drinking, convulsion, lethargy, cyanosis, chest in-drawing, respiratory rates, auscultatory findings such as air entry of bilateral…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 50 participants or records.
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