Procalcitonin Test

Procalcitonin (PCT) Test measures the levels of prohormone procalcitonin (PCT) in the blood. This test helps to identify the presence, severity, and management of systemic bacterial infections in the body. Procalcitonin or PCT acts as a precursor to the hormone calcitonin. This means that your body forms procalcitonin from which calcitonin is created. In recent times, procalcitonin has become an excellent biomarker (a biological molecule that indicates a normal or abnormal condition). Procalcitonin acts as an early biomarker for the detection of systemic bacterial infections. Experts discovered that patients positive for bacterial infections or sepsis also had high serum levels of procalcitonin. However, PCT levels were not elevated in patients with viral infections. Patients administered appropriate antibiotic medications according to their diagnosed diseases saw a fall in their PCT levels. This further indicated that procalcitonin was a biomarker that could specifically differentiate between the presence of bacterial and non-bacterial infections. Currently, PCT assays have been developed that are 79% accurate in being able to acutely determine if a bacterial species is the cause behind a person's inflammation or disease. Usually, the biological processes of our body ensure that there are very low levels of procalcitonin present in the blood. But the body sees an increase in the production of PCT by 100 to 1000 fold during bacterial infections. A procalcitonin test measures the level of the hormone PCT in your blood. High levels of procalcitonin indicate the presence of severe bacterial infections such as sepsis. Sepsis occurs when the body responds severely to an infection. Infection from one part of the body, such as your urinary tract or skin, ends up spreading into the bloodstream resulting in sepsis. This causes the body's immune system to react strongly and results in rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath etc. Untreated sepsis can lead to organ failure or death. The procalcitonin test results will help your doctor determine if you have sepsis or other severe bacterial infections. This helps in timely treatment and avoiding life-threatening complications.