Clinical Progress Note: Procalcitonin in the Management of Pediatric Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

CON: Procalcitonin does not have clinical utility in children with community-acquired pneumonia

Most clinical studies supporting procalcitonin (PCT)-guided management of lower respiratory tract infections have been performed in adults. There is a paucity of studies evaluating the clinical impact of PCT use in children and limited data informing age-appropriate PCT cut-offs; diagnostic accuracy in immunocompromised children; patient subgroups most likely to benefit from PCT testing; whether PCT adds value beyond available rapid molecular viral diagnostics; and optimal implementation strategies for PCT-guided treatment. At the present time there is little evidence to support routine use of PCT to aid management of paediatric pneumonia.

Serum β2-microglobulin may be a viral biomarker by analyzing children with upper respiratory tract infections and exanthem subitum: a retrospective study

Background

Due to the lack of effective and feasible viral biomarkers to distinguish viral infection from bacterial infection, children often receive unnecessary antibiotic treatment. To identify serum β2-microglobulin that distinguishes bacterial upper respiratory tract infection from viral upper respiratory tract infection and exanthem subitum in children.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 in Yancheng Third People’s Hospital. Children with upper respiratory tract infection and exanthem subitum were recruited. The concentration of serum β2-microglobulin in the viral and bacterial infection groups were statistically analyzed.

Results

A total of 291 children included 36 with bacterial upper respiratory tract infection (median age, 13 months; 44.4% female), 197 with viral upper respiratory tract infection (median age, 12 months; 43.7% female) and 58 with exanthem subitum (median age, 13 months; 37.9% female). When the concentration of β2-microglobulin was 2.4mg/L, the sensitivity to distinguish viral from bacterial upper respiratory tract infection was 81.2% (95% CI [75.1–86.4%]), and the specificity was 80.6% (95% CI [64.0–91.8]%). When the cutoff was 2.91 mg/L, the sensitivity of β2-microglobulin to distinguish exanthem subitum from bacterial upper respiratory tract infection was 94.8% (95% CI [85.6–98.9]%), and the specificity was 100% (95% CI [90.3–100]%).

Conclusions

Serum β2-microglobulin may be a significant biological indicator in children with upper respiratory tract infection and exanthem subitum.

Pneumonia Severity in Children: Utility of Procalcitonin in Risk Stratification

OBJECTIVES

To determine if serum procalcitonin, an indicator of bacterial etiology in pneumonia in all ages and a predictor of severe pneumonia in adults, is associated with disease severity in children with community-acquired pneumonia.

METHODS

We prospectively enrolled children 2 months to <18 years with clinical and radiographic pneumonia at 2 children's hospitals (2014-2019). Procalcitonin samples were obtained at presentation. An ordinal outcome scale of pneumonia severity was defined: very severe (intubation, shock, or death), severe (intensive care admission without very severe features and/or high-flow nasal cannula), moderate (hospitalization without severe or very severe features), and mild (discharge). Hospital length of stay (LOS) was also examined. Ordinal logistic regression was used to model associations between procalcitonin and outcomes. We estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for a variety of cut points of procalcitonin ranging from 0.25 to 3.5 ng/mL.

RESULTS

The study included 488 children with pneumonia; 30 (6%) were classified as very severe, 106 (22%) as severe, 327 (67%) as moderate, and 25 (5%) as mild. Median procalcitonin in the very severe group was 5.06 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.90-16.83), 0.38 (IQR 0.11-2.11) in the severe group, 0.29 (IQR 0.09-1.90) in the moderate group, and 0.21 (IQR 0.12-1.2) in the mild group. Increasing procalcitonin was associated with increasing severity (range of aORs: 1.03-1.25) and increased LOS (range of aORs: 1.04-1.36). All comparisons were statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher procalcitonin was associated with increased severity and LOS. Procalcitonin may be useful in helping clinicians evaluate pneumonia severity.

Distribution characteristics of serum β2-microglobulin between viral and bacterial lower respiratory tract infections: a retrospective study

Background

Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is one of the leading cause of death in children under 5 years old around the world between 1980 and 2016. Distinguishing between viral and bacterial infection is challenging when children suffered from LRTI in the absence of pathogen detection. The aim of our study is to analyze the difference of serum β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) between viral LRTI and bacterial LRTI in children.

Methods

This retrospective study included children with LRTI caused by a single pathogen from Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China, between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. Participants were divided into the younger group (1 year old ≤ age < 3 years old) and the older group (3 years old ≤ age < 5 years old) for subgroup analysis.

Results

A total of 475 children with LRTI caused by common respiratory pathogens were identified. In the younger group as well as the older group, the serum level of β2-MG in respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A virus and influenza B virus groups were significantly increased compared to that in the Mycoplasma pneumoniae group. Compared with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection group, the serum β2-MG level of respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A virus and influenza B virus groups were significantly higher in children between 1 and 3 years old.

Conclusions

The serum β2-MG may distinguish viral infection from bacterial infection in children with LRTI.