Comparison of Serum Levels of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein in Patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia and COPD Exacerbation
نویسندگان
1 Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran
2
3 Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran
4 Cardiovascular Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran
5 Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IR Iran
doi
چکیده
Pneumonia is an important and commonly occurring disease, with significant morbidity and mortality. Communityacquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with a very rapid rise in procalcitonin (PCT), which has been considered a primary markerof bacterial infection.Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the serum levels of PCT in patients with CAP and in patients with acute exacerbationof chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods: This cross-sectional prospective descriptive study was performed in the emergency department (ED) on patients withCAP and acute exacerbation of COPD. A total of 53 patients were included in this study and their serum levels of PCT and C-reactiveprotein (CRP) were measured.Results: The patients included 31 males and 22 females with a mean age of 76.529.93 years and a mean BMI of 25.983.04. Themean PCT level was 0.931.56 in patients with CAP and 0.290.27 in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD; the PCT level wassignificantly higher in the patients with CAP (P = 0.049). The mean CRP level was 34.0012.37 in patients with CAP and 31.6611.73in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD; this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.483).Conclusions: We found statistical differences in PCT levels that would differentiate CAP from acute exacerbation of COPD in the EDsetting. Further studies are required to verify this finding.
