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5TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF PEDIATRIC RHEUMATOLOGY, KOLKATA, 29TH & 30TH SEPTEMBER 2007
S. Apong*, Santanu Barman**, Subroto Chakrabartty***
*DCH PGT, ** Assistant Professor, ***Professor
Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory condition caused by vasculitis of medium sized arteries 1. The patient suffering from this disease often runs high fever extending into weeks 2. Almost all of them received antibiotics oral/intravenous in the assumption of the fever being of infective origin. The E.S.R. and C.R.P. level also contributes to this is idea.
We have been looking for a marker that will help to say that the fever is not of infective origin but of an inflammatory origin. We have done Procalcitonin level in 25 patients over a period of 2 years. All the reports showed he Procalcitonin level suggesting an inflammation and not an infection.
More interesting is the comparison of E.S.R, C.R.P and total W.B.C. count with the Procalcitonin level. Except the Procalcitonin a clinician going through the other reports will be inclined to think of an infection and prescribe antibiotics.
Estimation of Procalcitonin level during the course of the disease will also help clinicians to discontinue antibiotics, thus saving the burden of its unnecessary use.
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