Biomarker Thresholds for Serious Bacterial Infections in Children ≤36 Months

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 studies published between November 2013 and November 2023, evaluating diagnostic thresholds for C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and interleukin-6. The analysis was conducted by Natalia Sutiman and registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023439093). It reports pooled sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve metrics for different biomarker cut-offs.

Use Cases

• Validate diagnostic thresholds for C-reactive protein (CRP) based on reported cut-offs of 10–20 mg/L and >40 mg/L.
• Assess the performance of procalcitonin (PCT) using the reported <0.5 ng/mL cut-off for sensitivity.
• Benchmark interleukin-6 (IL-6) diagnostic accuracy against the single-study threshold of 20 pg/dL.
• Inform clinical decision rules for fever without source in young children based on the meta-analysis results.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on data from 37 studies, providing a substantial evidence base.
• Reports specific pooled metrics, including sensitivity of 0.75 for a CRP cut-off of 10–20 mg/L and specificity of 0.92 for CRP >40 mg/L.
• Includes a clear temporal scope for the literature search (November 2013 to November 2023).
• Registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023439093), indicating a structured review protocol.

Limitations

• The primary data format is a 633.8 KB PDF; the underlying tabular data (rows, columns) is not directly accessible.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the manuscript.
• Data may reflect publication and selection bias inherent to systematic reviews.

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 07:41:03.