Elevated Procalcitonin Levels in a Patient With Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the Absence of Infection

Bacterial infections are one of the major precipitating factors in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Procalcitonin (PCT) is highly specific in identifying bacteria sepsis, but PCT may be elevated in patients who do not have sepsis. Here, we report a 25-year-old patient admitted to the ICU for DKA. Initial laboratory investigation showed elevated PCT of 0.87 ng/ml and reached a concentration of 15.88 ng/ml on the second day of admission. PCT levels trended down to 4.7 ng/ml by the third day of admission. This case report shows PCT levels can be increased in patients with DKA even in the absence of infection and PCT levels decrease with clinical improvement of DKA without administration of antibiotics.