Procalcitonin Test Price in Pakistan: Rs 3,360 at Marham Lab

A procalcitonin test measures the level of procalcitonin in your blood. MedlinePlus explains that you normally have very low levels though if you have a serious bacterial infection, cells in many parts of your body release procalcitonin into your bloodstream. A high level may be a sign of a serious infection or sepsis. At Marham Lab the test costs Rs 3,360, reduced from Rs 4,800.

Saying this first, because it changes whether you should be booking it at all.

MedlinePlus states that a procalcitonin test is mostly used if you are seriously ill and your provider thinks you may have a systemic infection, meaning one that affects your entire body. It then states plainly: this test is usually used for very sick people admitted to the hospital.

If someone at home has a fever and you are deciding between tests, procalcitonin is not the one to start with. Look at [CBC](/labs/tests/cbc-test-price) and [CRP](/labs/tests/crp-test-price), and if there is a fever in dengue season see the [dengue page](/labs/tests/dengue-test-price). We list procalcitonin because admitted patients and their families need the price, not because it suits home testing.

This is the clinical value, and it has a direct consequence.

MedlinePlus explains the test helps find out whether bacteria or a virus is causing an infection, giving the example that it can help tell the difference between bacterial and viral pneumonia. It gives the reason that matters: antibiotics help most bacterial infections though not viral infections.

In a country where antibiotics are handed out for almost every fever, a test that tells a doctor an infection is probably viral is doing real work. It can mean an antibiotic is not started, or is stopped earlier.

MedlinePlus describes sepsis, also called septicaemia, as your immune system's extreme response to an infection, usually from bacteria. It explains that sepsis happens when an infection you already have spreads into your bloodstream and triggers a chain reaction throughout your body, causing inflammation and blood clots. Without quick treatment, sepsis can rapidly lead to tissue damage, organ failure or even death.

It notes that infections leading to sepsis most often start in the lungs, urinary tract, skin or digestive system.

MedlinePlus lists these symptoms of sepsis.

• Fever or chills
• Clammy or sweaty skin
• Confusion
• Extreme pain
• Rapid heartbeat
• Shortness of breath, feeling like you cannot get enough air
• Low blood pressure
• Reduced amounts of urine

MedlinePlus states that sepsis is a medical emergency, and that if you or your loved one has an infection that is not getting better or is getting worse, you should get medical help right away.

Do not order a test and wait for the report. Go to a hospital.

MedlinePlus lists these uses.

• Diagnosing or ruling out a bacterial infection or sepsis
• Finding out how serious a sepsis infection may be
• Making treatment decisions, such as the need for antibiotics
• Monitoring how well treatment is working
• Diagnosing kidney infections in children with urinary tract infections

MedlinePlus describes three bands rather than a single cut-off.

High levels mean you most likely have sepsis, may have a high risk of developing severe sepsis and septic shock, which it describes as a life-threatening condition when your organs do not get enough blood to work properly, or may have a serious systemic bacterial infection that increases your risk for sepsis. It adds that the higher your procalcitonin, the higher your risk of sepsis and septic shock.

Moderate to mildly high levels may be a sign of the earlier stages of a systemic bacterial infection, kidney infection in children only, or conditions other than infection such as tissue damage from trauma, serious burns, recent surgery or severe heart attack.

Slightly high levels mean you are unlikely to develop sepsis, though they may indicate a local bacterial infection such as a urinary tract infection, an infection from another cause such as a virus, or a systemic bacterial infection that is just beginning.

If you are being treated for a bacterial infection, MedlinePlus notes that decreasing or low levels mean your treatment is working. This is why the test is often repeated in hospital.

MedlinePlus states that a procalcitonin test will not show what type of bacteria is causing an infection, and that to make a full diagnosis your provider will likely order other tests. That is the job of a culture. See our [blood culture page](/labs/tests/blood-culture-test-price), which identifies the organism and the antibiotics it responds to.