Test Details & Preparation

What is Procalcitonin Test?
The procalcitonin test is highly effective in treating bacterial sepsis. It is normally produced by the thyroid gland. The PCT levels increase in the blood due to severe bacterial infection as the immune cells also start producing them.

Procalcitonin test is known as the best biomarker for treating major systemic inflammation, infection and sepsis. This test is also ordered in the case of pneumonia or meningitis and for diagnosing urinary tract infections in children.

Procalcitonin test is done to help diagnose sepsis if you are critically ill to help determine the risk of severe sepsis leading to septic shock to distinguish bacterial from non-bacterial infections.

Procalcitonin test is performed when you are seriously ill and your health care provider wants to distinguish between sepsis and other causes of the illness sometimes at intervals to monitor effectiveness of antimicrobial treatment.

No preparation is needed for a procalcitonin test.

Low levels of procalcitonin in a seriously ill person represent a low risk of sepsis and progression to severe sepsis or septic shock but do not exclude it. Low concentrations may indicate a localized infection that has not yet become systemic or a systemic infection that is less than six hours old.

High levels indicate a high probability of sepsis, that is, a higher likelihood of a bacterial cause for the symptoms. They also suggest a higher risk of progression to severe sepsis and then to septic shock.

Moderate elevations may be due to a non-infectious condition or due to an early infection and, along with other findings, should be reviewed carefully.

Decreasing procalcitonin levels in a person being treated for a severe bacterial infection indicate a response to therapy.

Very high levels of procalcitonin can be seen with medullary thyroid cancer, but the test is not used to diagnose or monitor this condition.

Procedure
This test should be performed in a well-equipped diagnostic lab. The needle will be inserted into the body through the vein which is easily visible over the cleaned skin. The blood sample will be collected through the tube attached to the needle which contains the serum gel. The blood sample tube is shaken down to extract serum from the clot and then it is further sent to the research laboratory for examination.