Correlation of serum C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels in infections of kidney transplant recipients

Abstract

Objectives. Procalcitonin is a propeptide of calcitonin and has been increasingly used as a biomarker of infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate correlation of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels of kidney transplant patients hospitalized due to infection. Methods. There were 121 patients who had kidney transplant in our center between September 2012 and February 2017 and patients with a diagnosis of infection or rejection were included in the study. Simultaneous 106 serum CRP and PCT levels at the beginning or during any time of treatment for post-transplant infection, cytomegalovirus (CMV) positivity, BK viremia and rejection were evaluated. Results. Median and interquartile ranges of CRP and PCT serum levels were 40 mg/l [24.7-64.9] and 0.19 ng/ml [0.1-0.61], respectively. A significant positive correlation between serum CRP and PCT levels of the patients were observed (r=0.490, p