THE PROCALCITONIN TEST AS A NEARLY CRITERION TO DIAGNOSE SEVERE FORMS OF INTRAUTERINE INFECTIONS AND TO MONITOR ANTIBACTERIAL TREATMENT IN EARLY NEONATAL PERIOD

Background: Research in the field of reliable and available tests to diagnose infectious and inflammatory disorders in newborns in their first two days of life, as well as for determination of indications to antibacterial treatment and its monitoring in the early neonatal period are of utmost importance. 

Aim: To improve quality of diagnostics of intrauterine infections and to optimize management strategies for newborns with a high risk of infections by means of the procalcitonin test in the early neonatal period.

Materials and methods: We assessed 40 normal (on-term) and 10 pre-term newborns born to mothers with infectious and inflammatory urogenital disease. Group 1 (n = 21) included patients with intrauterine pneumonia, group 2 (n = 6), those with intrauterine infection without a clearly defined primary locus, group 3 (n = 13), those with non-infectious disorders and group 4 (n = 10) comprised clinically normal (healthy) newborns. All infants underwent standard clinical and laboratory assessments, including an assessment of procalcitonin level by means of a semi-quantitative procalcitonin express-test (BRAHMS) at days 1, 2 and 3 of life. 

Results: At day 1, during primary assessment of newborns from group 1, procalcitonin values above 2 ng/mL were measured in 67% (10 of 15) cases; at days 2 and 3 also in 67% (4 of 6). Two patients with low procalcitonin values (below 0.5 ng/mL) had a disease of viral etiology (in 1, enteroviral and in 1, cytomegaloviral). In group 2, procalcitonin values exceeded 2 ng/mL in 3 of 5 newborns. In none of the infants from groups 3 and 4 procalcitonin values exceeded 2 ng/mL during their first 3 days of life. For assessment of efficacy of antibacterial treatment based on procalcitonin levels, all newborns with intrauterine infections were divided into group А (n = 11), where an antibacterial regimen was changed, and group B (n = 16), with no change in antibacterial treatment. During the treatment, 5 newborns from group A (45.5%) had their procalcitonin levels unchanged, whereas in 6 (54.5%) patients it decreased. In group B, 12 (75%) of newborns had their procalcitonin levels unchanged, in 2 (12.5%) it went down and in 2 (12.5%) of patients it went up. 

Conclusion: A semi-quantitative procalcitonin expresstest is characterized by its high informativity and availability when used in newborns of various gestation ages in the early neonatal period. An increase of procalcitonin level above 2 ng/mL, starting from the first day of life, can be used as an early diagnostic criterion of severe forms of intrauterine infections associated with systemic inflammatory response and symptoms of organ insufficiency. The results of procalcitonin test can be used for monitoring of antibacterial treatment in newborns.