Various inflammatory processes are sometimes impossible to determine without laboratory testing. For this, doctors prescribe clinical, biochemical analyzes of biological materials. Why do I need to take a blood test for PCT?
What is PCT?
In our body, according to the state, the content of certain substances, it is possible to determine or refute the presence of any disease. A blood test is especially informative in this regard. Another substance that helps to make a correct diagnosis is procalcitonin (PCT), which precedes the formation of calcitonin. In turn, calcitonin is an indicator of calcium metabolism in the body and a substance for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer.
Procalcitonin is produced by the C-cells of the thyroid gland. Through chemical reactions, PCT is converted to calcitonin. In he althy people, this process occurs almost without residues, that is, PCT does not have time to enter the bloodstream. That is why only traces of this substance are determined in the blood, which show the necessary information about the state of human he alth.
Unlike the subsequent hormone calcitonin, PCT is essential for the diagnosis of certain types of infectious diseases or inflammatory conditions.
What materialused for analysis?
Analysis for the determination of PCT is considered a general clinical and biochemical blood test. For this, it is necessary to take not capillary, but venous blood. Then the laboratory assistant examines traces of procalcitonin in the blood plasma. To ensure that the results are not distorted, it is necessary to comply with all the conditions for passing the analysis.
For what reason does this indicator in the blood rise?
Procalcitonin test or PCT is a biochemical test that is important in determining the severity of sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).
Procalcitonin is synthesized normally in C-cells of the thyroid gland. To determine the level of this marker in the body, a blood test is performed. Deciphering PCT is not an easy task for the doctor, as it is elevated in many life-threatening pathologies. Let's consider at what he alth difficulties it is above the norm.
- Procalcitonin in the blood is increased in infections that do not have a viral etiology. This phenomenon is evident in bacterial sepsis.
- Serious injuries, burns, surgeries give impetus to increase PCT after two to three days.
- People taking immunosuppressants and other drugs that release anti-inflammatory cytoclins often have high levels of procalcitonin.
- In newborns, PCT rises in the first two days after birth. Blood test, transcript, the norm for the rest of the babies does not havefeatures.
- Prolonged and severe cardiogenic shock shows elevated numbers on this test.
- Microcirculation disorders that continue for a long time also lead to an increase in procalcitonin levels.
When is a PCT blood test ordered?
Specialists resort to such a study in the following conditions of the body:
- PCT-blood test, the interpretation of which is available only to specialists, is often prescribed to diagnose septic conditions and their severity. It is also indicative in cases of suspected severe bacterial infections, fevers of unknown etiology.
- Control of the results of treatment of sepsis, shock conditions, the prognosis of these pathologies require the appointment of a study on PCT.
- To diagnose infectious complications in patients after surgery, organ transplants, during intensive care and while on ventilators, procalcitonin testing is often used. For people diagnosed with "neuropenia" and "immunosuppression", with unidentified diagnoses, the test is of great importance - for their clarification and evaluation of the therapy.
- In the differential diagnosis of infectious and non-communicable diseases, research is sometimes crucial.
- Complications in the form of fungal and bacterial infections will also help identify this blood test. The PCT decryption will help determine what the possiblethe causative agent of this or that complication.
- Diseases such as pneumonia, bacterial meningitis, and peritonitis may also require procalcitonin testing.
Conditions for passing the analysis for this indicator
All patients are prescribed a general blood test upon admission and when contacting a medical institution. Deciphering PCT, the norm of which depends on the age and state of he alth of the patient, is not prescribed so often. But the study is becoming more and more popular every day, doctors understand its importance for clarifying the diagnosis and prognosis of the patient's further condition.
All biochemical studies are performed on an empty stomach. And procalcitonin is no exception. The test must be submitted by 10:00 am. On the eve you need to refrain from fatty, fried, s alty foods and alcohol. If possible, avoid taking medications. If they cannot be reversed, the names of the drugs must be given to the lab.
On the day of the test, you can drink a glass of water, but no more, since we are talking about a "capricious" substance, the level of which must be carefully monitored. It is also important to take into account the day of the menstrual cycle in women, since the fair sex has certain days when it is most favorable to take blood for the study of hormone levels. This information can be obtained from the doctor who ordered the test.
Deciphering the complete blood count PCT
In every study, interpretation is an important partresults. Many often try to diagnose themselves according to the indicators obtained, but do not rush to put an end to yourself. A blood test, PCT decoding are of great importance in diagnosing the severity of a leak and predicting septic and other pathological conditions:
- If the value is below 0.5 ng/mL, this indicates that there is practically no risk for developing severe sepsis.
- 0, 5-2 ng/ml - the so-called gray zone, coincides with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. But it is impossible to say with certainty that the patient may develop a severe septic condition. It is recommended to repeat the analysis in six to twenty-four hours.
- If the procalcitonin level exceeds two ng/ml, then SIRS or severe sepsis can be suspected.
- Above 10 ng/mL or more is severe SIVR resulting from severe sepsis or shock. May lead to multiple organ failure syndrome. The risk of patient death is very high.
Norms for adults and children
Normally, the concentration of PCT is very low. It is in the range of 0.01 - 0.045 ng/ml. Many clinical and biochemical parameters differ depending on age and many other factors and circumstances. But the same cannot be said for PCT. A blood test, the decoding of which in children has practically no features, is carried out regardless of age. Is it only in newborns that the studied indicator rises for several days, but then returns to normal again.
Whatevidence of a lower rate?
It is known that in children who received perinatal dexamethasone, when a PCT blood test is performed, the transcript is "lowered". In adults, it is not possible to determine a reduced level of procalcitonin, since its normal values \u200b\u200bare too low.
What should I do if a PCT blood test is performed, the interpretation is "increased"?
Many people start to panic at the sight of a discrepancy between the reference values and the actual results of the analysis. But first you need to know what these values mean. In the diagnosis of many severe pathological processes, a blood test (PCT decoding) is of great importance. An elevated level of procalcitonin may indicate such a formidable pathology as sepsis, and be a predictor of a lethal outcome for the patient.
After the results of the tests become known, it is easier for the doctor to choose the necessary therapy that can save a person's life. If we are talking about a malignant process, then this study allows you to identify it in the early stages, which makes it possible to quickly clarify the diagnosis with the help of other studies and undergo the necessary course of treatment in a timely manner. This increases the chances of recovery.
If a patient is admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis, but blood and urine amylase levels are extremely high, a procalcitonin test will confirm pancreatic necrosis or rule it out.
Patients after organ transplants and other seriousof surgical interventions that give a high temperature, a PCT test can be done to make sure that a fungal or bacterial infection has not joined.
If in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of "sepsis", the indicators decrease, then this indicates the effectiveness of the treatment. Patients in whom procalcitonin in the blood does not increase, but does not decrease, have a dubious prognosis. If the indicators, despite intensive therapy, not only do not decrease, but also grow, then the patient has practically no chance of surviving.
What should a specialist take into account when deciphering this indicator?
Reference limits between he althy and sick patients may not differ significantly, so when a patient has a PCT blood test, the interpretation of this study requires special care from the specialist. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. Therefore, when interpreting such indicators, one must be very vigilant, taking into account the patient's history and clinical data, as well as other indicators, such as a clinical blood test, a general urinalysis, C-reactive protein, tumor markers.
