Acta paediatrica
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Multicenter Study
Is procalcitonin useful in early diagnosis of serious bacterial infections in children?
To compare diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin for early diagnosis of serious bacterial infection (SBI) in children presenting with fever and no focus of infection. ⋯ For early diagnosis of SBI in children presenting with fever and no focus of infection, the diagnostic utility of procalcitonin is similar to the traditional markers infection and clinical scoring. While a low procalcitonin level cannot be used to exclude SBI in this population, a combination of PCT, CRP and WBC may be more useful in predicting SBI.