Procalcitonin as a Prognostic Predictor in Patients With Acute Infectious Disease Hospitalized in the Internal Medicine Department.

Procalcitonin is a well-known biomarker used to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections, assess a patient's risk category, and serve as a prognostic indicator. However, existing data are derived primarily from relatively young patients in intensive care units; there is a lack of information regarding the prognostic significance of procalcitonin in older patients hospitalized in internal medicine wards.

Inclusion Criteria: * All patients hospitalized in internal medicine and geriatric wards with a diagnosis of acute infectious disease who underwent procalcitonin testing, starting in 2020. Exclusion Criteria: * Age under 18 * Causes for false positive elevated cacitonin: * Extensive burns * Major operation in the last 30 days * Major trauma in the last 30 days. * Severe pancreatitis * Cardiogenic shock * Small Cell Lung Cancer * Thyroid gland malignancy