title: [Clinical value of serum procalcitonin in evaluating severity of infant muggy syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the correlation between serum procalcitonin (PCT) level and severity of infant muggy syndrome (IMS) and the predictive value of PCT in the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in children with IMS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty children with IMS were classified into two groups according to the presence of MODS: MODS (n=29) and non-MODS (n=21). According to a 30-day follow-up result, they were classified into survival (n=36) and deceased groups (n=14). Vital signs, routine biological measurements (arterial blood gas, blood routine, CRP, liver and kidney functions, myocardial enzyme and so on) and the disease severity evaluated by the Pediatric Critical Illness Score (PCIS) within 24 hours of admission were recorded. Serum levels were measured using the semi-quantitative PCT-Q test within 24 hours of admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-seven children (94%) had elevated serum PCT levels (≥ 0.5 ng/mL) at admission. There were lower PCIS scores, higher rates of MODS and higher levels of serum PCT in deceased patients than survivors (P<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between serum PCT levels and PCIS scores (r=-0.84, P<0.05). Serum PCT levels in the MODS group were significantly higher than in the non-MODS group (P<0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve showed that, if the cut-off point of serum PCT level was 10.6 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity of PCT were 79.3% and 90.5% respectively, in predicting MODS, with the area under the curve of 0.924 ( P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum PCT level at admission is correlated with the severity of IMS and it may be an early predictive marker of MODS.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Wuhan Childrenγs Hospital, Wuhan 430016, China. lwb717299@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Fang
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Ji-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D013577:Syndrome
chemical_list: C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide