Procalcitonin as a marker of sepsis in alcoholic hepatitis

Background Early diagnosis of sepsis in alcoholic hepatitis is important for selecting the appropriate therapy. The role of procalcitonin (PCT) to diagnose sepsis in patients with alcoholic hepatitis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is not yet clear. Methods All patients admitted with alcoholic hepatitis and SIRS underwent measurement of serum PCT and C reactive protein (CRP) levels within 24 h of admission. Patients were classified into two groups: group 1, alcoholic hepatitis with SIRS alone; group 2, alcoholic hepatitis with SIRS and sepsis. The ability of PCT to predict sepsis was evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses to compare the two groups. Results The study included 11 patients in group 1 and 29 in group 2. All were male (median age 42 years; range, 24–65 years). Age, dose and duration of alcohol intake, biochemical parameters and median MELD score were not significantly different between the two groups. PCT and CRP were significantly higher among group 2 than group 1 patients ( p