A CORRELATION OF C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND FEVER OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN

DR. VENKATA TULASI RAMESH POTLURI; DR. LAKSHMI SPANDANA POTLURI

Volume : VIII, Issue : VIII, August - 2019

A CORRELATION OF C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND FEVER OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN

Dr. Venkata Tulasi Ramesh Potluri, Dr. Lakshmi Spandana Potluri

Abstract :

INTRODUCTION: Fever without focus is termed when there is fever without localizing symptoms or signs, usually acute in onset and persists for less than one week. It is more common in children less than 36 months of age. C reactive protein level increases within hours of acute injury or onset of inflammation and reaches peak within 24 to 48 hours. CRP is elevated in all bacterial infections in acute stages MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective hospital based descriptive study conducted between June 2018 and July 2019 in a tertiary care centre in South India with 76 children under 3 months of age included in the study. Investigations done predominantly included CBP with ESR & ANC, CRP, urine analysis, blood and urine cultures, chest radiograph. RESULTS: CRP was a better indicator of serious bacterial infection (SBI) when compared to ESR and Leucocytosis when various predictive indicators like sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value were compared. CONCLUSION: Semiquantitative CRP is useful in predicting occult serious bacterial infection (SBI) in children between 1 month to 36 months. CRP can also be considered a better predictive test than total white blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.