title: Procalcitonin and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children.
abstract: The role of procalcitonin (PCT) as a biomarker for sepsis in adults is well documented, while its role in infections affecting neonatal children remains controversial. Among these infections, Community-Acquired pneumonia (CAP) has been studied extensively, because it's the second cause of death in children in developing countries, and one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization in industrialized countries. The PubMed database and the Cochrane Library were used to search for the following keywords: CAP, procalcitonin, and children. Thirteen articles were studied to determine the role of PCT in CAP management, specifically its usefulness for distinguishing pneumococcal infections from viral and unknown infections, for predicting severity and the correct antibiotic treatment. This paper focuses on the studies performed to identify the best inflammatory biomarker for CAP management. Although there is an increase in studies confirming the usefulness of PCT in CAP management in children, further studies are needed to have better understanding of its role for pediatric CAP management.
authors.affiliation: Sezione Biochimica Clinica e Medicina Molecolare, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli studi di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Bivona
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Giulia
authors.affiliation: Sezione Biochimica Clinica e Medicina Molecolare, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli studi di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Agnello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luisa
authors.affiliation: Sezione Biochimica Clinica e Medicina Molecolare, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli studi di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Scazzone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Concetta
authors.affiliation: Sezione Biochimica Clinica e Medicina Molecolare, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli studi di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Lo Sasso
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Bruna
authors.affiliation: Sezione Biochimica Clinica e Medicina Molecolare, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli studi di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Bellia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chiara
authors.affiliation: Sezione Biochimica Clinica e Medicina Molecolare, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli studi di Palermo, Italy; UOC Medicina di Laboratorio-CoreLab, AOUP Policlinico P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: marcello.ciaccio@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Ciaccio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marcello
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002648:Child; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
keywords: Biomarkers; Children; Community-acquired pneumonia; PCT; Pediatric CAP; Procalcitonin