Biomarker Thresholds for Bacterial Infections in Children ≤36 Months, 2013-2023

37 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis to determine diagnostic thresholds for C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and interleukin-6. The analysis, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023439093), was conducted by Natalia Sutiman and published on figshare. It covers research from November 2013 to November 2023.

Use Cases

• Validate diagnostic cut-off values for CRP and PCT based on pooled sensitivity and specificity results.
• Compare the diagnostic performance of different biomarkers (CRP, PCT, IL-6) for serious bacterial infections.
• Inform clinical decision rules for managing fever without source in children under three years old.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on data from 37 distinct studies.
• Provides specific pooled sensitivity and specificity metrics with 95% confidence intervals for CRP and PCT thresholds.
• The review protocol was pre-registered (PROSPERO CRD42023439093).

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is limited to a 336.1 KB PDF file; the underlying tabular data may not be directly accessible.

Provenance

Source

Natalia Sutiman via figshare.

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Web of Science.

Time Range

Studies published between November 2013 and November 2023.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 07:41:06; freshness should be verified.