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Procalcitonin as a prognostic marker in meningococcal disease
D C M Van der Kaay1, E D De Kleijn, Y B De Rijke
1Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric Intensive Care, Erasmus Medical Center/Sophia Children's Hospital, Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GJ Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Procalcitonin (PCT) levels in children with meningococcal disease correlate with disease severity. While elevated PCT indicates severity, it doesn't predict survival alone, unlike other markers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Meningococcal disease is a severe infection in children.
- Early prognostic markers are crucial for timely intervention.
- Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker for bacterial infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prognostic significance of procalcitonin (PCT) levels in pediatric meningococcal disease.
- To correlate PCT levels with disease severity and patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective descriptive study in a pediatric intensive care unit.
- Included 64 children with meningococcal sepsis or septic shock.
- Measured PCT, CRP, cytokines, PAI-1, and routine lab parameters.
Main Results:
- PCT levels were elevated in all patients upon admission.
- Higher PCT levels were observed in septic shock compared to sepsis (p<0.01).
- PCT levels correlated significantly with disease severity (PRISM score) and mortality when disease duration was short (p=0.04).
Conclusions:
- Procalcitonin levels on admission reflect disease severity in pediatric meningococcal disease.
- PCT can be a prognostic indicator, especially in early stages of illness.
- Unlike other markers, PCT alone does not predict survival outcomes.
Objective:
To assess the prognostic value of procalcitonin levels during the clinical course of meningococcal disease in children.
Design:
A retrospective, descriptive study.
Setting:
University paediatric intensive care unit.
Patients:
Nine patients with meningococcal sepsis and 55 patients with meningococcal septic shock were included in the study, giving a total of 64.
Measurements And Results:
Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and several routine laboratory parameters were determined and expressed as medians (ranges). PCT levels on hospitalisation were elevated in all children as compared to normal values. Median PCT levels on admission were significantly higher in children with septic shock than in children with sepsis (270 ng/ml (5.7-672.3) versus 64.4 (20.6-283.7); p<0.01). When the patients were categorised to severity using the Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) score (group 1: <15 points, group 2: 16-30, group 3: >30), the PCT levels were significantly different in the three groups. All markers, with the exception of PCT (p=0.056), were significantly different between survivors and non-survivors. When the duration of petechiae was taken into account, the difference in PCT levels became significant (p=0.04).
Conclusions:
Procalcitonin levels on admission are related to severity. In the case of a short disease history (duration of petechiae), PCT levels are also related to mortality. Although PCT levels are elevated in all patients, the levels per se do not allow a prediction about survival versus non-survival, this is in contrast to other markers and scores (PRISM).