Assessment of Urinary Tract Infection and Estimation of Procalcitonin Serum Level Among Iraqi Children

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) considered as a serious public health issue, especially in children, which can be caused by a variety of organisms, especially gram-negative bacteria. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a precursor of the calcitonin hormone, which normally released in the thyroid gland, and this biomarker has become more effective in diagnosing bacterial infections in the last decade. Moreover, to establish the utility of procalcitonin for predicting urinary tract infections in children. The current study included two groups of patients of approximately sixty cases from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI), besides, sixty cases from healthy individuals. Samples were collected from Al Imamain Al-Kadhimain Medical City in Baghdad. The result showed a highly significant difference in procalcitonin levels in UTI patients compared to the control group. The results of this investigation support the use of PCT as an indicator for the diagnosis of UTI children.