Procalcitonin, PCT
Procalcitonin is the earliest and most reliable indicator of “blood inflammation” - sepsis. Sepsis is a life–threatening condition characterized by the presence of a microbial pathogen in the blood, in response to which a severe inflammatory reaction develops. The fatal outcome of this condition is often 50%. If the clinical picture is vivid, it is not difficult for an experienced doctor to make a diagnosis, but often the manifestations of sepsis are so “erased” that only a microbiological analysis of the blood can confirm the diagnosis. The results of such test will be ready in 5-7 days.
Thus, precious time, so important to the patient's treatment, is lost. Scientists have discovered procalcitonin, a substance that appears in the blood if a patient develops sepsis. Procalcitonin is a chemical precursor of calcitonin, normally produced in the thyroid gland, but in severe systemic infection, its production occurs in cells outside the gland.
The trigger mechanism of increased procalcitonin synthesis is biologically active substances (IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α) produced in response to the presence of bacteria in the blood. It has been empirically proven that in sepsis patients, elevated procalcitonin is not only a poor prognostic sign, but is in itself detrimental to the patient's health.
Read also: "QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF PROCALCITONIN IS A HIGHLY INFORMATIVE TEST FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTIONS IN NEWBORNS"