Recovery from childhood community-acquired pneumonia in a developing country: Prognostic value of serum procalcitonin

Abstract Background Childhood community-acquired pneumonia is a common and potentially life-threatening illness in developing countries. We assessed the prognostic value of serum procalcitonin level upon admission on clinical response to antibiotic treatment. Methods Out of 89 patients, the median (IQR) age was 19(12–29) months and 60% were boys. Viral (49.5%), typical bacterial (38%) and atypical bacterial (12.5%) infections as well as probable pneumococcal infections (26%) were diagnosed. Results Seventy-five (84%) children became afebrile ≤ 48 h after treatment. In 14 children who remained febrile after 48 h of treatment, median[ IQR ] serum procalcitonin (ng/ml) level on admission was higher than in those with rapid recovery (2.1[0.8–3.7] vs 0.6[0.1–2.2]; P = 0.025). In the slow-responding children, pneumococcal infections were more common (71% vs 17%; P   0.25 ng/ml on admission. The majority of children with pneumonia in a developing country become afebrile within 48 h after onset of antibiotic treatment. Conclusions Serum procalcitonin