Role of procalcitonin levels in progression of staging of chronic kidney disease: A retrospective observational study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v7i2.2350Keywords:
Chronic Kidney Disease, Procalcitonin, Inflammation, Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, Disease Progression, Retrospective Observational StudyAbstract
Background:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with chronic inflammation and progressive deterioration of renal function. Procalcitonin, traditionally used as a marker of bacterial infection, has been reported to be elevated in CKD patients even in the absence of infection.
Objectives:
To evaluate the association between serum procalcitonin levels and the severity and progression of chronic kidney disease.
Methods:
This retrospective observational study was conducted at Naraina Hospital & Research Center, Uttar Pradesh, India, over one year. Medical records of 200 adult CKD patients were reviewed. Patients with acute infections, sepsis, dialysis dependency, renal transplantation, or incomplete records were excluded. CKD staging was determined using the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Associations between procalcitonin levels, CKD stage, and disease progression were analyzed using ANOVA, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation analysis.
Results:
Mean procalcitonin levels increased significantly across CKD stages, from 0.08±0.03 ng/mL in stages 1–2 to 0.85±0.26 ng/mL in stage 5 (p<0.001). Patients with CKD stage progression had significantly higher procalcitonin levels compared with patients without progression (0.64±0.21 vs. 0.22±0.10 ng/mL; p<0.001). Procalcitonin demonstrated a significant negative correlation with eGFR (r=-0.71, p<0.001) and a positive correlation with serum creatinine (r=0.68, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
Serum procalcitonin levels increase significantly with advancing CKD stage and are associated with disease progression. Elevated procalcitonin may reflect chronic inflammation and impaired renal clearance rather than infection alone.
Recommendation:
Procalcitonin should be interpreted cautiously in CKD patients and may be considered as an adjunct biomarker for monitoring disease severity and progression. Prospective multicenter studies are recommended to validate its prognostic utility.
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