Table 9.

Differential diagnosis of increased PCT levels

Infectious Disorders	Noninfectious Disorders
• Bacterial pneumonias CAP NHAP NP •Legionnaires' disease •Bacteremias (gram-negative > gram-positive) •TB •Bacterial meningitis •Fungal pneumonias •Viral hepatitis •Toxoplasmosis •Osteomyelitis •SBE •Malaria (Plasmodium falciparum)	•Renal insufficiency •Alcoholic hepatitis •Lung cancer (small cell) •Thyroid cancer •Surgery •Trauma •Burns •Cardiogenic shock •Goodpasture syndrome shock •GVHD •Hypotension •Hemorrhagic/necrotic pancreatitis •Normal variant (elderly) •Febrile neutropenia •Drug fever •HD (not PD) •Immunosuppression/steroids •BMT •Tumor fever

Abbreviations: BMT, bone marrow transplant; CAP, community acquired pneumonia; GVHD, graft-versus-host disease; HD, hemodialysis; NHAP, nursing home acquired pneumonia; NP, nosocomial pneumonia; PD, peritoneal dialysis; SBE, subacute bacterial endocarditis; TB, tuberculosis.

Data from Cunha CB. Differential diagnosis of infectious disease. In: Cunha BA, editor. Antibiotic essentials. 9th edition. Sudbury (MA): Jones & Bartlett; 2010.