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World J Methodol. Jun 20, 2026; 16(2): 115754
Published online Jun 20, 2026. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v16.i2.115754
Published online Jun 20, 2026. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v16.i2.115754
Serum procalcitonin as a predictor of severity of pneumonia in under-five children: A prospective observational study
Sapan Kumar Kanungo, Gobinda Hembram, Department of Pediatrics, Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College, Cuttack 753007, Odisha, India
Pratima Kumari Sahu, Department of Biochemistry, Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College, Cuttack 753007, Odisha, India
Rashmi Ranjan Das, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhu
Author contributions: Kanungo SK, Hembram G, and Sahu PK contributed to material preparation, and data acquisition; Kanungo S, Sahu PK, and Das RR contributed to data analysis; Kanungo SK, Hembram G, Sahu PK, and Das RR contributed to conceptualization and design; all authors contributed to writing draft manuscript and writing revision and approved to submit the final version.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Institute Ethics Committee of Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College & Hospital, Cuttack, No. 1571.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: There is no additional data available.
Corresponding author: Rashmi Ranjan Das, MD, FCCP, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Sijua, Patrapada, Bhubaneswar 751019, Odisha, India.
Received: October 24, 2025
Revised: November 18, 2025
Accepted: January 23, 2026
Published online: June 20, 2026
Processing time: 181 Days and 17.6 Hours
Revised: November 18, 2025
Accepted: January 23, 2026
Published online: June 20, 2026
Processing time: 181 Days and 17.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Severe pneumonia in children is commonly caused by bacteria. Unlike C-reactive protein, procalcitonin (PCT) levels specifically increase in bacterial infections. In this study, we included 200 children with pneumonia and investigated the role of PCT in predicting the severity and mortality due to pneumonia. The serum PCT level paralleled with the severity of pneumonia, and the day 5 level was higher than the day 1 level. PCT elevation was significantly higher in bacterial pneumonia compared to viral and atypical pneumonia. A higher level of PCT on day 5 predicted a longer duration of antibiotics use, prolonged hospitalization, and increased mortality.