title: Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein kinetics as indicators of treatmentoutcome in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There has been growing interest in the use of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The aim of this study was to investigate whether an assessment of fever, leukocyte count, and serum CRP and PCT levels on admission and during follow-up (day 3) provides any information about the clinical outcome in hospitalized patients with CAP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with a diagnosis of CAP who were admitted to and followed at four university hospitals were evaluated retrospectively using the Turkish Thoracic Society Pneumonia Database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 103 hospitalized CAP patients (57 males, mean age: 61.5 ± 16.7 years) were enrolled in the study. Treatment failure (TF) was observed in 20 patients (19.4%). Pneumonia Severity Index scores, serum CRP levels, and PCT levels on admission were significantly higher in the TF group. There were significant decreases in CRP and PCT levels between admission day and day 3 in the treatment success group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with CAP, the body temperature and leukocyte count on admission do not predict outcome. Monitoring levels of CRP and PCT may be useful as a predictor of treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Sezai
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Taşbakan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gündüz
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sayıner
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aykut
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Çilli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Burcu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Çelenk Karaboğa
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayşin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Şakar Çoşkun
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Feride
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Durmaz Yaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oğuz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kılınç
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Öznur
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Kılıç Soylar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
keywords: C-reactive protein; Procalcitonin; pneumonia ; treatment