Serum procalcitonin can help to distinguish bacterial from viral infections. However, serum procalcitonin may be elevated for other reasons.
Elevations of serum procalcitonin can occur in:
(1) medullary carcinoma of the thyroid
(2) small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung or other sites
(3) placental disorders (including pre-eclampsia)
(4) ischemic colitis or mesenteric infarction
(5) renal failure
(6) swine influenza (H1N1) pneumonia
(7) severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria
(8) drug hypersensitivity reaction or anaphylaxis
(9) exertional heatstroke
(10) acute myocardial infarction with severe left heart failure or cardiac arrest
It may be unwise to make a diagnosis of infection based solely on an elevated serum procalcitonin.
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Specialty: Clinical Laboratory, Endocrinology
