MCP1, CRP and Procalcitonin as Novel Diagnostic Markers in Cirrhotic Patients with Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Background & Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate serum c-reactive protein (CRP), ascitic procalcitonin (PCT) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotic patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study that included 199 patients with decompensated cirrhosis (101 with SBP and 98 without SBP). Patients were classified according to Child-Pugh criteria. Ascitic PCT and MCP-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum CRP, liver and renal functions were assessed. Results: Three markers are significantly elevated in SBP patients than those without ascites. Using the ROC curve at AUC 0.883 and a cut-off value of >186 ng/ml, the diagnostic performance of ascitic MCP-1 level was higher than CRP (AUC 0.562) and ascitic fluid procalcitonin (AUC 0.751) in the diagnosis of SBP. The sensitivity and specificity were 86.15% and 79.59% at the cutoff of 186 ng/ml for MCP-1, 65.4 and 75.5 at ≥ 1 ng/ml for PCT, and 52.5 and 64.3, respectively for at 11.2 mg/dl CRP. Conclusion: Ascitic MCP-1 has a better diagnostic value with higher sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis SBP compared to CRP and procalcitonin which has higher diagnostic accuracy than CRP. Further studies with a large number will be necessary to evaluate the usefulness of these markers in diagnosis, follow-up and relation to morbidity and mortality of SBP patients.