Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (857 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A peptide hormone that lowers calcium concentration in the blood. In humans, it is released by thyroid cells and acts to decrease the formation and absorptive activity of osteoclasts. Its role in regulating plasma calcium is much greater in children and in certain diseases than in normal adults.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Calcitonin(1-32); Calcitrin; Thyrocalcitonin; Eel Calcitonin; Calcitonin, Eel; Ciba 47175-BA; Ciba 47175BA; Ciba 47175 BA.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Peptide Hormones; Thyroid Hormones; Neuropeptides
- Narrower topics
- Procalcitonin
- See also
- Receptors, Calcitonin
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 19,065 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Calcitonin” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 2,797 of them (14.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 9,649 records.
Reviews account for 2,474 records (13.0%) and meta-analyses for 263. Randomized controlled trials number 554 (2.9%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 9,649 |
| 2000-2009 | 2,832 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,787 |
| 2020 onward | 2,797 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 2,474 | 13.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 263 | 1.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 554 | 2.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Calcitonin"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Nanotools for Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with high mortality rates and a pathological complexity hindering early and accurate diagnosis.
- Closing excerpt
- Herein, the most relevant applications of nanomedicine for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of sepsis is reviewed, providing a critical assessment of their potentiality for clinical translation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (198 words)
Sepsis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide with high mortality rates and a pathological complexity hindering early and accurate diagnosis. Today, laboratory culture tests are the epitome of pathogen recognition in sepsis. However, their consistency remains an issue of controversy with false negative results often observed. Clinically used blood markers, C reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) are indicators of an acute-phase response and thus lack specificity, offering limited diagnostic efficacy. In addition to poor diagnosis, inefficient drug delivery and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms constitute significant barriers in antibiotic stewardship and impede effective therapy. These challenges have prompted the exploration for alternative strategies that pursue accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Nanomaterials are examined for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in sepsis. The nanoparticle (NP)-enabled capture of sepsis causative agents and/or sepsis biomarkers in biofluids can revolutionize sepsis diagnosis. From the therapeutic point of view, currently existing nanoscale drug delivery systems have proven to be excellent allies in targeted therapy, while many other nanotherapeutic applications are envisioned. Herein, the most relevant applications of nanomedicine for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of sepsis is reviewed, providing a critical assessment of their potentiality for clinical translation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33236524 · DOI · PMC11469323
Associations of procalcitonin, C-reaction protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in China [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an important and urgent threat to global health.
- Closing excerpt
- Thu Baseline levels of PCT and CRP have been addressed as independent predictors of mortality in patients with COVID-19.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (189 words)
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an important and urgent threat to global health. Inflammation factors are important for COVID-19 mortality, and we aim to explore whether the baseline levels of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reaction protein (CRP) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are associated with an increased risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19. A retrospective study was conducted and a total of 76 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were included between January 17, 2020 to March 2, 2020, of these cases, 17 patients were dead. After adjusting covariates, PCT (≥ 0.10 ng/mL) and CRP (≥ 52.14 mg/L) exhibited independent increasing risks of mortality were used hazard ratio (HR) of 52.68 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.77-1571.66) and 5.47 (95% CI: 1.04-28.72), respectively. However, NRL (≥ 3.59) was not found to be an independent risk factor for death in our study. Furthermore, the elevated PCT levels were still associated with increasing risk of mortality in the old age group (age ≥ 60 y), and in the critically severe and severe patients after adjustment for complications. Thu Baseline levels of PCT and CRP have been addressed as independent predictors of mortality in patients with COVID-19.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 32929124 · DOI · PMC7490259
Usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections in children [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundThere is a lack of studies comparing PCT, CRP and WBC levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections.
- Closing excerpt
- The levels of PCT and CRP have higher differential diagnostic value than that of WBC in infection, and the combined examination of the three is more valuable in clinic.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (190 words)
BackgroundThere is a lack of studies comparing PCT, CRP and WBC levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections. It is necessary to explore the correlation between above markers and different types of ARTI.Methods108 children with confirmed bacterial infection were regarded as group A, 116 children with virus infection were regarded as group B, and 122 children with mycoplasmal infection were regarded as group C. The levels of PCT, CRP and WBC of the three groups were detected and compared.ResultsThe levels of PCT, CRP and WBC in group A were significantly higher than those in groups B and C (p + bacterial infection and G- bacterial infection (p > 0.05). ROC curve results showed that the AUC of PCT, CRP and WBC for the diagnosis of bacterial respiratory infections were 0.65, 0.55, and 0.58, respectively.ConclusionsPCT, CRP and WBC can be combined as effective indicators for the identification of acute bacterial or no-bacterial infections in children. The levels of PCT and CRP have higher differential diagnostic value than that of WBC in infection, and the combined examination of the three is more valuable in clinic.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 34836530 · DOI · PMC8620633
Clinical effectiveness of procalcitonin- or C-reactive protein-guided antibiotic discontinuation protocols for adult patients who are critically ill with sepsis: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionAntibiotics are a first-line treatment for sepsis, with guidelines recommending a 7- to 10-day course.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings underscore the potential importance of utilising procalcitonin to inform antimicrobial stewardship practices, particularly in critical care settings.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (280 words)
IntroductionAntibiotics are a first-line treatment for sepsis, with guidelines recommending a 7- to 10-day course. Prolonged antibiotic use carries significant risks, prompting growing interest in using inflammatory biomarkers, such as procalcitonin or C-reactive protein, to guide clinical decision-making on the duration of antibiotic therapy in patients who are critically ill. This rapid systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of using procalcitonin- or C-reactive protein-guided protocols for antibiotic discontinuation in patients who are critically ill with sepsis.MethodsWe conducted systematic searches for articles published after January 2005 in relevant databases. Eligible studies included randomised controlled trials comparing procalcitonin- or C-reactive protein-guided protocols for antibiotic discontinuation with standard care, or with each other. Primary outcomes were duration of antibiotic therapy and mortality. Secondary outcomes included infection recurrences; secondary infections or superinfections; and the duration of intensive care and hospital stays.ResultsWe identified 21 eligible studies. Moderate certainty evidence from 19 trials, involving 6382 patients, indicated that procalcitonin-guided protocols probably reduced antibiotic therapy by, on average, 2.0 days (95%CI -2.6 to -1.4) compared with standard care. Moderate certainty evidence from 18 trials, involving 6228 patients, suggested an average 5% reduction in mortality risk when using procalcitonin-guided protocols compared with standard care (risk ratio 0.95, 95%CI 0.83-1.07). The evidence regarding C-reactive protein-guided protocols versus standard care approaches remained unclear, with very low to low certainty evidence available.DiscussionCombining relevant trials suggests that procalcitonin-guided discontinuation protocols may be both safe and effective for patients who are critically ill with sepsis, with no increased risk in mortality. In contrast, the evidence supporting C-reactive protein-guided protocols is limited. These findings underscore the potential importance of utilising procalcitonin to inform antimicrobial stewardship practices, particularly in critical care settings.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41505903 · DOI · PMC12973355
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein levels as markers of bacterial infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Procalcitonin as a diagnostic marker for sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Accuracy of procalcitonin for sepsis diagnosis in critically ill patients: systematic review and meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Procalcitonin as a diagnostic test for sepsis in critically ill adults and after surgery or trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Procalcitonin in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A meta-analysis [9]
- Research article Effect of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment on mortality in acute respiratory infections: a patient level meta-analysis [10]
References
- Papafilippou L, Claxton A, Dark P, Kostarelos K, Hadjidemetriou M. Nanotools for Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment. . 2021. PMID 33236524 · DOI · PMC11469323
- Xu JB, Xu C, Zhang RB, Wu M, Pan CK, Li XJ, et al.. Associations of procalcitonin, C-reaction protein and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in China. . 2020. PMID 32929124 · DOI · PMC7490259
- Li Y, Min L, Zhang X. Usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections in children. . 2021. PMID 34836530 · DOI · PMC8620633
- Rafiq S, Shi C, Ghosal S, Dark P, Felton T, Kontopantelis E, et al.. Clinical effectiveness of procalcitonin- or C-reactive protein-guided antibiotic discontinuation protocols for adult patients who are critically ill with sepsis: a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis. . 2026. PMID 41505903 · DOI · PMC12973355
- Simon L, Gauvin F, Amre DK, Saint-Louis P, Lacroix J. Serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein levels as markers of bacterial infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Infect Dis. 2004. PMID 15307030 · DOI
- Wacker C, Prkno A, Brunkhorst FM, Schlattmann P. Procalcitonin as a diagnostic marker for sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2013. PMID 23375419 · DOI
- Tang BM, Eslick GD, Craig JC, McLean AS. Accuracy of procalcitonin for sepsis diagnosis in critically ill patients: systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2007. PMID 17317602 · DOI
- Uzzan B, Cohen R, Nicolas P, Cucherat M, Perret GY. Procalcitonin as a diagnostic test for sepsis in critically ill adults and after surgery or trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Care Med. 2006. PMID 16715031 · DOI
- Lippi G, Plebani M. Procalcitonin in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A meta-analysis. Clin Chim Acta. 2020. PMID 32145275 · DOI · PMC7094472
- Schuetz P, Wirz Y, Sager R, Christ-Crain M, Stolz D, Tamm M, et al.. Effect of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment on mortality in acute respiratory infections: a patient level meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018. PMID 29037960 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.