Serum procalcitonin levels associate with Clostridioides difficile infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major cause of morbidity among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of CDI are needed in clinical practice. The relationship between serum procalcitonin and CDI in IBD patients has not been investigated so far. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the usefulness of measuring serum procalcitonin level to detect CDI in patients with the flare of IBD.

METHODS

One hundred twenty patients with IBD were enrolled in this study. Bacterial identification was performed using standard microbiological and molecular methods. The serum procalcitonin levels were measured in all patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to assess the value of procalcitonin for the prediction of CDI among IBD patients.

RESULTS

The median serum procalcitonin level was significantly increased in IBD patients with CDI compared to non-CDI IBD patients (0.69 ng/mL vs 0.32 ng/mL). In univariate analysis, log₁₀ procalcitonin was associated with CDI (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.54-4.09, P-value < 0.001). Procalcitonin 1.1 ng/mL was 85% sensitive and 88% specific for the prediction of CDI. In the multivariable model including the covariates log₁₀ procalcitonin, age, hospitalization, type of IBD, duration of the disease, and antibiotic usage, procalcitonin showed a robust association with CDI (OR 4.59, 95% CI 2.49-6.70, P-value < 0.001). An elevated procalcitonin level was associated with the presence of CDI among IBD patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that procalcitonin level can be a good candidate biomarker for assessing the CDI in IBD patients. Further studies are required to decipher whether procalcitonin can predict CDI therapy or its recurrence.

Significance of Serum Procalcitonin Levels in Differential Diagnosis of Pediatric Pneumonia

The objective of this study was to explore the early diagnosis methods of severe pediatric pneumonia. A total of 65 cases hospitalized in pediatric departments and ICU of our hospital because of severe pneumonia were divided into two groups according to pathogen detection. The groups were as follows: 34 cases of bacterial pneumonia, 32 cases of a non-bacterial pneumonia, and 37 cases of healthy children after physical examination in our hospital as the control group. The peripheral blood was sampled from each of the three groups for procalcitonin (PCT). The pediatric PCT level in peripheral blood of the bacterial pneumonia group was significantly higher than that of non-bacterial pneumonia group and the control group. The statistical differences (each at p < 0.01) and the level of pediatric serum PCT in the bacterial pneumonia group before treatment were statistically different from that in the same group after treatment (p < 0.01), while the level of pediatric serum PCT in non-bacterial pneumonia group before treatment was statistical indifferent from that in the same group after treatment (p > 0.01). PCT level in pediatric peripheral blood is an important diagnostic indicator of bacterial infection and a sensitive indicator of distinction between bacterial pneumonia and the non-bacterial pneumonia, thus being of great significance for clinical and differential diagnosis.