[Serum procalcitonin levels in children with bacterial or viral meningitis].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the ability of serum procalcitonin (PCT) to differentiate between bacterial and viral meningitis.


METHODS
The serum PCT levels were measured in 41 children with acute bacterial (n=18) or viral (n=23) meningitis by immunoluminometric assay. Meanwhile serum CRP levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured.


RESULTS
The children with acute bacterial meningitis had higher levels of PCT (51.73 +/- 30.75 microg/L) and CRP(182.36 +/- 54.5 mg/L) and ESR (50.44 +/- 8.95 mm/h) than those with viral meningitis (0.84 +/- 0.99 microg/L, 8.90 +/- 10.66 mg/L and 16.75 +/- 13.23 mm/h respectively, P < 0.01). Both PCT and CRP had high predictive value for bacterial meningitis based on the area under curve of the receiver operating characteristics curves, 0.984 for PCT (95% confidence interval 0.953-1.013) and 0.983 for CRP (95% confidence interval 0.954-1.012) (P > 0.05). All of the children with bacterial meningitis had serum PCT levels above 0.5 microg/L, but only 2 patients with viral meningitis exceeded this value.


CONCLUSIONS
The measurement of serum PCT levels may be of value in the differential diagnosis of meningitis due to either bacterial or viruses.
Liu
Chun-Feng
CF
Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China. zhliu258@hotmail.com
Cai
Xu-Xu
XX
Xu
Wei
W
D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012372:ROC Curve
C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide