Role of C-Reactive Protein and Procalcitonin in Differentiation of Tuberculosis from Bacterial Community Acquired Pneumonia

Abstract

The concentrations of CRP and PCT differed significantly in patients with pulmonary TB and bacterial CAP. The high sensitivity and negative predictive value for differentiating pulmonary TB from bacterial CAP suggest a supplementary role of CRP and PCT in the diagnostic exclusion of pulmonary TB from bacterial CAP in areas with an intermediate prevalence of pulmonary TB.