The relationship between thyroid hormones and procalcitonin with neonatal sepsis: a case-control study in Iran in 2017

Background and Objective: Neonatal sepsis (NS) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates. Correct and early diagnosis of NS can prevent its complications. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the levels of thyroid hormones and procalcitonin (PCT) with NS. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 40 term neonates with proven NS diagnosis and 40 term neonates whose NS were rejected due to negative paraclinical findings were compared in terms of thyroid hormone levels, PCT and C reactive protein (CRP). Data were analyzed using SPSS v.17. Results: The most common clinical finding was fever in both groups, while there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.1). The results of laboratory tests showed that the CRP levels in the NS group were significantly higher than the control group (P = 0.03). In terms of thyroid hormones, although TSH and T4 were higher in the NS group, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.94 and P = 0.22, respectively). In addition, PCT measurements and comparisons showed that this parameter was significantly higher in the NS group (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that CRP and PCT levels in NS neonates were significantly higher than non-NS neonates, while there was no significant difference in the level of thyroid hormones in the two groups. Further studies are recommended in this area.