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THE CLINICAL USEFULNESS OF C‐REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP) DETERMINATIONS IN BACTERIAL MENINGITIS AND SEPTICEMIA IN INFANCY
Author(s) -
SABEL K.G.,
HANSON L. Å.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1974.tb04814.x
Subject(s) - medicine , c reactive protein , meningitis , radial immunodiffusion , white blood cell , cerebrospinal fluid , neonatal meningitis , antibiotics , csf albumin , bacterial meningitis , pediatrics , neonatal infection , persistence (discontinuity) , immunology , gastroenterology , antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , inflammation , escherichia coli , biology , pregnancy , biochemistry , genetics , geotechnical engineering , gene , engineering
. Sabel, K.‐G. and Hanson, L. Å. (Department of Paediatrics, Children's Hospital, and Department of Immunology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Göteborg, Sweden). The clinical usefulness of C‐reactive protein (CRP) determinations in bacterial meningitis and septicemia in infancy. Acta Paediatr Scand, 63: 381, 1974.–The possibility of using CRP for diagnosis and follow‐up of infants with bacterial meningitksepticemia was investigated. CRP was quantitated with the single radial immunodiffusion technique. In 37 infants 0–12 months old with purulent meningitis and/or septicemia, CRP was increased in 32. The same proportion of increased CRP was found in the neonatal cases as in the older infants. Peak values to <50 µg/ml were found in 2/3 of all cases, E. coli infections showing the most uniform pattern of high CRP values. The period of increased CRP was closely related to risk of recurrence of the infection. After CRP had returned to normal levels no recurrence occurred. In cases of neonatal E. coli infections CRP was found to be the best single parameter indicating persistence of infection, and in a group of H. influenzae idfection CRP was as good as cultures of cerebrospinal fluid, white blood cell count and protein in cerebrospinal fluid. The findings show that CRP is a useful parameter to show the presence of meningitis and/or septicemia in infancy including the neonatal period. CRP is an easy test which can be used to direct antibiotic treatment since it rapidly detects persistence of infection or recurrences.