Is Procalcitonin more superior to hs-CRP in the diagnosis of infection in diabetic foot ulcer?

Procalcitonin (PCT) has recently emerged as a marker for diagnosing infection. This study aimed to compare the performance of PCT and other infection markers in diagnosing infected diabetic foot ulcer (IDFU). A total of 128 diabetic patients with foot ulcers were recruited and divided into two groups, consisting of 73 patients in the IDFU group and 55 in the non-infected diabetic foot ulcer (NIDFU). The severity of infection in IDFU patients was graded based on the Infectious Disease Society of America-International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot classification. Blood samples from all the patients were collected for measurement of PCT, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and white cell count (WBC). The area under the receiver operating curves (AUC) were then constructed and analysed. PCT, hs-CRP and WBC levels were significantly higher in the IDFU group compared to NIDFU with hs-CRP demonstrated the highest AUC (0.91; p