Procalcitonin
Measuring procalcitonin (PCT) (serum) is generally not common in the diagnosis and monitoring of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are caused by an abnormal immune response of the body in which the immune system mistakenly views healthy tissue as foreign and dangerous and attacks it. PCT levels are usually associated with bacterial infections and not autoimmune diseases
this test is used in follow-up and prognostic markers of SIRS/sepsis; Therapy monitoring of bacterial respiratory tract infections in COPD patients
The concentration of procalcitonin (PCT) increases about 4 hours after contact with bacterial endotoxins and reaches the maximum after about 6 - 8 hours PCT reacts much earlier than CRP and therefore more closely matches the current inflammatory process. A slight increase in PCT concentration is also found in non-bacterial diseases such as e.g. B. chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases, viral infections, polytrauma and burns.
It is not to order this test in acute infections at blood value test, in such cases go to the doctor.
Measuring procalcitonin (PCT) is generally not common in the diagnosis and monitoring of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are caused by an abnormal immune response of the body in which the immune system mistakenly views healthy tissue as foreign and dangerous and attacks it. PCT levels are usually associated with bacterial infections and not autoimmune diseases.
However, some autoimmune diseases may have low levels of PCT elevation, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or vasculitis. This may be due to the presence of inflammation in the body, which can occur as a result of the autoimmune disease itself. Measuring PCT levels can therefore be used in some cases as an additional tool to determine whether infection is present or not, particularly in patients with autoimmune diseases who are at increased risk of infection because of their underlying condition or treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.
However, it is important to note that measuring PCT levels is not the primary diagnostic test in autoimmune diseases, and interpretation of PCT test results should always be done in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory data. Your doctor can give you more information about the use of PCT testing in your specific autoimmune disease and what to expect during your treatment.
