title: [Procalcitonin. A new marker for acute phase reaction in acute pancreatitis].
abstract: Procalcitonin is a protein which is found in elevated concentrations in the blood circulation during systemic bacterial, fungal or protozoal infection. In contrast to classical acute-phase proteins like C-reactive protein or interleukin-6, it is not elevated after operative trauma. In this paper we present current opinions on the assumed induction mechanisms of the protein by cytokines and endotoxin. Furthermore, the clinical value for early detection of systemic infections in abdominal and transplantation surgery is demonstrated by examples from the literature. Our investigation shows that eight patients with necrotizing pancreatitis had a PCT mean value of 6.9 ng/ml on the day of admission. Seven patients with edematous pancreatitis had only a PCT mean value of 0.69 ng/ml. Despite these differences in the mean values, a significant difference between the normal value and the mean value of the group with necrotizing pancreatitis or edematous pancreatitis was not observed due to the wide range of PCT levels in the group of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis. The fact that only a few of the patients had a superinfected necrosis with systemic evasion of bacterias or their toxins may be the reason for this wide range. We suggest that a discrimination between superinfected necrotizing or sterile pancreatitis and edematous pancreatitis by PCT could be possible but more extensive studies with microbiological examination of the necrotic material are required to recognize the subgroups and to establish the real diagnostic efficiency of PCT in clinical practice, especially in the prediction of the outcome of acute pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Klinische Chemie, Klinikum Mannheim, Universität Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bertsch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hofheinz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aufenanger
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D019512:Pancreatitis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
vernacular_title: Prokalzitonin. Ein neuer Marker für die Akute-Phase-Reaktion bei akuter Pankreatitis.