Does procalcitonin do better than CRP in cirrhosis

Bacterial infection is a frequent complication in cirrhotic patients, putting them at significant risk of mortality. The clinic may be misleading and the infection may be pauci-symptomatic. Diagnosis and management must be rapid in order to improve the prognosis. The objectives of this study were to determine the value of procalcitonin (PCT) in the diagnosis of bacterial infection in decompensated cirrhosis patients and to determine whether PCT, compared to C-reactive protein (CRP), would provide a better diagnostic orientation. Methods: Prospective study, carried out in collaboration between the Biochemistry Laboratory and the Intensive Care Unit of the Gastroenterology Department of the Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis over a period of 14 months. The study included decompensated cirrhotic patients admitted to the Gastroenterology Department. We compared two groups of patients: decompensated cirrhotics with an infection and cirrhotics with another cause of decompensation Results: The study included 92 patients. The two predominant etiologies of cirrhosis were hepatitis C (42%) and hepatitis B (10%).