C-REACTIVE PROTEIN - ITS ROLE IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND FOLLOW-UP OF INFECTIOUS-DISEASES

The greatest value of C-reactive protein determinations are when combi ning serial measurements with clinical findings for evaluation of the response to antibiotic treatment in patients with severe bacterial inf ections and for the detection of complicating infections, Of importanc e also is the use of C-reactive protein for exclusion of infections an d minimising unnecessary antibiotic therapy. Today, routine cytokine d eterminations seem to be of limited value. C-reactive protein has ofte n higher sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values than white bl ood cell counts, leukocyte ratios, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the diagnosis of bacterial infections. The plasma turnover of I-125 -C-reactive protein does not differ significantly between healthy subj ects and patients with different diseases (half-life = 18.8 + 3.9 hour s). When differentiating between bacterial and viral infections differ ent decision limits for serum C-reactive protein will often be used fo r children and adults (20 mg/l versus 50-75 mg/l).