Diagnostic Value of Serum Procalcitonin in Patients with Convulsion in Emergency Department, an Observational Study

Procalcitonin (PCT), a widely used biomarker for bacterial infections, is sometimes measured in convulsion patients to distinguish bacterial infections including bacterial meningitis. However, serum PCT elevation is reported in several other conditions. This study assessed the diagnostic value of serum PCT concentrations in convulsion patients. This study examined a convulsion group: patients admitted to our critical care center during April 2018 through September 2019 via the emergency department presenting with convulsions. Randomly sampled patients admitted without convulsions were categorized as a non-convulsion group. Serum PCT analysis was performed with consideration of whether or not the patient had an infection. Diagnostic values of serum PCT for bacterial infection were evaluated for convulsion and non-convulsion patients using the positive likelihood ratio of PCT. This study found 84 patients as eligible for the convulsion group; 1:2 matched 168 control patients were selected as non-convulsion group members. The positive likelihood ratio for bacterial infection was found to be significantly lower in the convulsion group than in the control group (1.94 vs. 2.65) when setting the positive cut-off for PCT as 0.5 ng/mL. Convulsion patients had a higher PCT value. The positive likelihood ratio for patients without bacterial infection was lower.