Procalcitonin vs C-reactive protein in early detection of intrauterine infection in premature rupture of membranes and neonatal infections

Sa？etak At any time during pregnancy intrauterine infection is an important risk factor for neonatal sepsis and is a frequent cause of mortality and morbidity in newborn infants. The aim of this study was to consider the patterns of procalcitonin (PCT) response in normal pregnancy and in pregnancies complicated with a premature rupture of the membranes, to compare the results of PCT with those of C-reactive protein (CRP) and to assess their diagnostic accuracy both to mothers and neonates. 120 mothers with singleton pregnancies were enrolled in this study. 60 pregnancies were complicated with a premature rupture of membranes, and 60 were control pregnancies. We analyzed PCT and CRP values, clinical chorioamnionitis, neonatal infection and other neonatal outcomes in both groups. We found significantly higher maternal serum concentrations of PCT and CRP in the Study group. Regarding our results, both markers are predictive for chorioamnionitis and neonatal infections, with almost similar significance