Elevation of procalcitonin level in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and in medical staff with close patient contact

Background. Several studies have shown that serum procalcitonin levels increase conspicuously in acute and systemic inflammatory diseases. However, there is insufficient information concerning its activity in chronic infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. In this study, we aimed to assess serum level of procalcitonin in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and in medical staff at high risk due to close patient contact (high-risk staff). Methods. For this purpose, 30 patients (6 female, 24 male) and 20 staff (8 female, 12 male) were evaluated. Twenty eight healthy blood donors (9 female, 19 male) made up the control group. Results. Serum procalcitonin level in patients with tuberculosis was 0.76 +/- 0.20 ng/mL. Procalcitonin levels in active tuberculosis patients and staff were not significantly different (p = 0.381); however, differences between active tuberculosis patients and control group were significant (p <0.001). In addition, serum procalcitonin levels were also different in staff and control groups (p <0.001). Conclusions. This study showed that procalcitonin levels increased both in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and in the staff. This result considered that procalcitonin could be a good indicator of inflammation in patients with chronic diseases and in persons exposed to long-lasting infections. (C) 2003 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.