title: [Usefulness of plasma procalcitonin (PCT) estimation to diagnose patients in departments of infectious diseases].
abstract: PCT is a new highly sensitive and specific marker of bacterial and fungi infection--to be used in differential diagnosis at Infectious Diseases Departments. Author in this paper presents structure and mechanism of stimulation of PCT as a factor of "early infection's fase" for many infectious agents: bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. PCT may be found useful in diagnosing diseases; for ex.: sepsis, meningitis, inflammation of respiratory system, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SPB) and other local inflammatory foci (otitis media, endocarditis). PCT level is low in systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) of non-infectious origin (< 0.5 ng/ml), medium in case of localized infections (1.0-2.0 ng/ml) and in severe cases of disseminated infections (sepsis-->SIRS-->MODS) high (approximately 20 ng/ml).
authors.affiliation: Klinika Chorób Zakaźnych i Hepatologii UM w Łodzi ul Kniaziewicza 1/5, 91-347 Łódź.
authors.forename: Witold
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wrodycki
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002494:Central Nervous System Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D009181:Mycoses / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide