title: Procalcitonin Levels in Acute Respiratory Infection.
abstract: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker of inflammation that is used to help make clinical decisions, like starting antibiotics or admitting a patient to the hospital. While PCT levels have been widely studied in pneumonia, levels in less severe acute respiratory infections (ARI) have not been well studied. To measure PCT levels in otherwise healthy adults during ARI, we followed 99 healthy adults during the cold and flu season, collecting blood specimens for PCT testing at baseline, and when participants presented with ARI. Ninety-six percent of the ARI samples had PCT levels <0.05 ng/mL. The remaining 4% were <0.25 ng/mL. These data suggest that PCT is not a useful test in ARI of mild-to-moderate severity.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Kelsey M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Henriquez
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hayney
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Rakel
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison , Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002116:Calcitonin