title: Age-specific percentile-based reference curve of serum procalcitonin concentrations in Japanese preterm infants.
abstract: Procalcitonin (PCT) levels are elevated early after birth in newborn infants; however, the physiological features and reference of serum PCT concentrations have not been fully studied in preterm infants. The aims of the current study were to establish an age-specific percentile-based reference curve of serum PCT concentrations in preterm infants and determine the features. The PCT concentration peaked in infants at 1 day old and decreased thereafter. At 1 day old, serum PCT concentrations in preterm infants <34 weeks' gestational age were higher than those in late preterm infants between 34 and 36 weeks' gestational age or term infants ≥37 weeks' gestational age. Although the 50-percentile value in late preterm and term infants reached the adult normal level (0.1 ng/mL) at 5 days old, it did not in preterm infants. It took 9 weeks for preterm infants to reach it. Serum PCT concentrations at onset in late-onset infected preterm infants were over the 95-percentile value. We showed that the physiological feature in preterm infants was significantly different from that in late preterm infants, even in those <37 weeks' gestational age. To detect late-onset bacterial infection and sepsis, an age-specific percentile-based reference curve may be useful in preterm infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukuzumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe, 6540142, Japan.|Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Kayo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Itsuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Sota
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwatani
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Ruri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishino
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuhide
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumoto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saegusa
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control and Prevention, Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.|Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, 6500017, Japan.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morioka
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D016972:Enterobacter cloacae; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D053717:Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000097:blood; D012016:Reference Values; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002116:Calcitonin