title: [The value of serum procalcitonin in treatment of community acquired pneumonia in outpatient].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) on antibiotic use in treatment of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in outpatient.
  
  
  METHODS
  From November 2006 to February 2008, a total of 127 patients with CAP in outpatient were randomly assigned into two groups: PCT group (n = 63) and control group (n = 64). PCT levels of all patients were measured after study admission. On the base of similarly normal treatment, the control group received antibiotics according to the attending physicians and the PCT group were treated with antibiotics according to serum PCT levels: antibiotic treatment was applied with PCT level > or = 0.25 microg/L and was discouraged with PCT level < 0.25 microg/L. Clinical efficacy, rate of antibiotics use, duration courses and costs of antibiotics were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical efficacy of the PCT group was similar with the control group (92.1% vs 87.5%, P > 0.05); rate and costs of antibiotics use was lower, antibiotic duration of the PCT group was shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCT could be used in treatment of CAP for antibiotic use in outpatient, which may reduce antibiotic use, shorten antibiotic duration and lower costs of antibiotic.
authors: Department of Emergency, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, China. longwei2290@163.com
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Long
authors: Xing-Qi
authors: XQ
authors: Deng
authors: Jian-Guo
authors: JG
authors: Tang
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Xie
authors: Yi-Cui
authors: YC
authors: Zhang
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Yu-Yao
authors: YY
authors: Gao
authors: Gang
authors: G
authors: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide