Immunobiological assessment of inflammation in pediatric patients: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and interleukin-6

Inflammation represents a complex response of the body to internal or external aggression, playing a crucial role in the immune defense process. In pediatric practice, prompt and accurate evaluation of inflammation is essential for early diagnosis, monitoring disease progression and for guiding the treatment. In this context, immunological biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), pro­cal­ci­tonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), have gained in­crea­sing attention due to their sensitivity and specificity. This article aims to analyze the role of these markers in mo­ni­to­ring inflammation in children, highlighting their re­le­vance in differentiating infectious from inflammatory etio­lo­gies, assessing the severity of the pathological process and predicting the clinical outcomes. Furthermore, the li­mi­ta­tions of each biomarker are discussed, as well as the im­por­tance of integrating them within a broader clinical con­text to optimize therapeutic decision-making.