Value and accuracy of pro-calcitonin versus C-reactive protein in diagnosis of bacterial infection in cirrhotic patients

Abstract Background Liver cirrhosis is the end-stage of chronic liver diseases. Cirrhotic patients are at high risk of developing bacterial infections, sepsis, and sepsis-related death. Aim of the study Our goal is to investigate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin as a tool for detection of bacterial infection in cirrhotic patients. Patients and methods The study was done in the endemic medicine department at Minia University Hospitals, from April to December 2022. Ninety patients were included in this study. Forty-two patients presented clinically with infection (group 1), while the other forty-eight patients were clinically not infectious (group 2). Results A cutoff CRP level > 4.6 mg/L indicates the presence of infection with a sensitivity of 97.78%, a specificity of 95.56%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.978. As regards procalcitonin, the probability of infection in cirrhotic patients was estimated at cutoff level > 347 with a sensitivity of 37.78%, a specificity of 100%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.623. Conclusion CRP is superior to procalcitonin in the detection of bacterial infections, but both are specific in the diagnosis of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients.