C-REACTIVE PROTEIN SERUM LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH OCULAR DISEASE

Hepatocyte derived C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive indicator f or inflammatory or infectious processes in a variety of tissues. As se veral other plasma proteins it is regarded as part of the acute phase response to a variety of tissue damage. CRP is commonly used in genera l medicin as a tool for the follow-up of especially bacterial infectio ns. However, it has not been widely used in ophthalmology. In the pres ent study CRP values in serum samples from 51 patients with various ac ute ocular diseases were determined semiquantitatively. High CRP level s were found most frequently in patients with either preseptal celluli tis (83.3%) or endophthalmitis (25.8%) whereas in the serum of patient s with keratitis and uveitis, CRP exceeded 20 mg/l in only 18.7% of th e cases. In a control group of 10 patients with retinal detachment the mean CRP level was 2.3 mg/l (SD +/- 0.98 mg/ml). The clinical signifi cance and the prognostic value of CRP determinations during ocular dis eases are discussed.