PROCALCITONIN AS A MARKER FOR

Neonatal sepsis remains a major clinical problem in neonatology, with high morbidity and mortality rates despite the progress in neonatal intensive care and antibiotics. The host defense against infections is immature in the newborn infant, and this makes the neonate more susceptible to intensive infection.The diagnosis of neonatal sepsis begins with clinical suspicion. The challenge for the neonatal practitioner is to decide which babies need empirical antibiotic therapy. Unfortunately there is no single diagnostic test, which can reliably diagnose sepsis in the newborn, therefore many diagnostic tests are utilized to diagnose or confirm sepsis.This study was conducted in order to evaluate serum concentration of procalcitonin in the newborn infants as a predictor of neonatal sepsis, and its value as a prognostic parameter.