Document Details Document Type : Article In Journal  Document Title : VERY HIGH CRP: ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND POSSIBLE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE VERY HIGH CRP: ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND POSSIBLE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE   Document Language : English  Abstract : Background: C reactive protein (CRP) is the classical acute-phase reactant involved in host immunity. Although it can increase up to 1,000 fold in response to inflammation, the diagnostic value of very high levels of CRP (vhCRP) is not known. Objective: To explore any diagnostic value of vhCRP through investigating the spectngn of associated diseases in patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH). Method: Over a year period, CRP tests performed by immunonephelometry were sequentially collected from the laboratory of clinical immunology at KAUH.Tests with vhCRP were arbitrarily identified as those with CRP levels 100 mg/I.Their charts were reviewed for demographic and clinical data. Results: A total of 720 CRP tests were collected. CRP levels were elevated (~I 0 mg/I) in 494 tests (68.8%).YhCRP levels were detected in 107 tests (15%), and only charts of 97 different tests (13.55) were found. In these, YhCRP were elevated up to 391 mg/I (mean 184 +50 66).The study group's age ranged between I - 88 years old with a mean of 28 +5D23, and females constituted 51 % of them.The most common diagnoses category associated with vhCRP was infectious diseases (70%), followed by rheumatological diseases (21 %). In the infectious diseases, the most frequent diseases were pneumonia (14%) and septicemia (14%).There was a significant like-hood ratio between vhCRP and the category of infectious diseases (df=74, P<0.05). Conclusion: Elevation of CRP is a common inflammatory immune nesponse in patients at KAUH.This advocates its use as a sensitive marker in screening for illnesses with inflammation. Although this study did not reveal any diagnostic value of vhCRP regarding any specific disease, vhCRP might be a useful parameter in differentiating diseases with infectious pathology. CRP was identified in 1930, and its serum levels are elevated in a wide variiety of acute and chronic inflammation (1, 2). It was subsequently considered to be an "acute phase protein" which acts as an early indicator of many inflammaatory conditions (3, 4). CRP belongs to the g-globulin family of human plasma proteins and derives its name from its ability to precipitate a group C polysaccharide of pneumococccus in the presence of Ca2+ (1). CRP binds to a range of substances and is a ligand for specific receptors on phagoocytic leukocytes, mediates activation reactions on monoeytes and macrophages, and activates compleement (5). Hence, CRP is classified as an 46 PAN Arab Medicaljournal  ISSN : 15298719  Journal Name : PAN ARAB MEDICAL JOURNAL.  Volume : 1  Issue Number : 5  Publishing Year : 1426 AH 2006 AD  Article Type : Article  Added Date : Tuesday, January 20, 2009  Researchers Researcher Name (Arabic) Researcher Name (English) Researcher Type Dr Grade Email عائشة الغامدي Alghamdi, Aisha Researcher Doctorate Aalghamdius2009@hotmail.com Files File Name Type Description  VERY HIGH CRP ASSOCIATED DISEASES AND POSSIBLE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE.pdf pdf   Back To Researches Page