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C-reactive protein (CRP) is part of a battery of “routine bloods” performed by residents on patients when they are admitted into a rehabilitation unit. Generally, an elevated CRP is considered to be an indicator of an acute infective process. Numerous studies have indicated that the CRP peaks on the 2nd or 3rd day post total hip arthroplasty (THR) and total knee arthroplasty (TKR) and returns to normal by day 7. When the CRP level remains elevated, it is generally felt that infection should be excluded. We performed a prospective study on 45 consecutive patients admitted into a rehabilitation unit post hip and knee arthroplasty over a 6 months period, to evaluate the incidence of an elevated CRP on admission, to determine whether an isolated elevated CRP on admission to a rehabilitation setting should not be considered as an indicator of an infective process. We found all patients (100%) had elevated CRP's on admission, ranging from 8.6 mg/L to 139.2 mg/L, between days 5–7 post-operatively. By day 14, CRP's reduced, but 91% of patients still had elevated CRP's, ranging from 2.1 mg/L to 47.3 mg/L after THR and 4.8 mg/L to 40 mg/L after TKR at day 14. These results suggest that even in uncomplicated elective joint arthroplasty, CRP's can remain elevated up to 14 days post-procedure, in the absence of an infective process. An isolated elevated CRP on admission to a rehabilitation setting should not be considered as an indicator of an infective process, but rather part of the normal post-operative inflammatory response. The elevated CRP should be monitored and only an upward trend requires further investigation and management.

Although follicular lymphoma (FL) is a pathological entity characterized by relatively uniform histological and molecular findings, its clinical course is highly variable. Establishment of therapeutic strategies based on a simple and practical prognostic model is important. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an adverse prognostic marker for various tumors and aggressive lymphomas. However, the significance of serum CRP levels as a prognostic index in low-grade lymphomas, such as FL, has not been thoroughly investigated. We retrospectively analyzed the relationship between serum CRP levels at diagnosis and the prognosis in patients with FL (n = 61) undergoing rituximab-containing chemotherapy. Elevated CRP levels showed a significant association with elevated fibrinogen (P = 0.002) in univariate analysis. Patients with higher CRP levels (> 5 mg/L) had a significantly shorter progression-free survival in multivariate analysis (P = 0.044). We concluded that serum CRP levels are important in prognostic stratification of patients with FL.

A 36-year-old Japanese woman presented to our emergency department with a 2-day history of fever, headache, eye pain, arthralgia and poor appetite after returning from Thailand. She had been sightseeing in Phuket, as island in Thailand. At initial presentation, her body temperature was 38.9°C. Laboratory examination results revealed a slightly elevated C reactive protein level of 0.57 mg/dL (range: 0–10 mg/dL), normal white blood cell count of 4.16 ×10ˆ9/L and normal platelet count of 233 ×10ˆ9/L. The result of the rapid diagnostic kit for the dengue virus (DENV) was positive for DENV non-structural protein-1 antigen. The result …

The purpose of this study was to investigate an association between the prognosis for oro-hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiation therapy and the pre-therapeutic level of C-reactive protein (CRP). Patient with oro-hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent definitive radiotherapy in our institution from January 2002 to August 2016 were enrolled. The patient were divided into elevated CRP (over 0.3 mg/dl) group and normal CRP groups, according to pre-treatment serum levels. There were 276 evaluable patients, and the median follow up was 41 months, ranging from 2 to 171 months. The 3-year OS and CSS for all enrolled patients were 67.0% and 72.8%, respectively. The OS and CSS rates were significantly worse in the elevated CRP group than in the normal CRP group, according to Kaplan-Meier survival curves analysed by a Log-rank test (p = 0.005 and p

A case-cohort analysis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) was performed within a multicountry randomized trial (PEARLS) to assess the prevalence of persistently elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, based on serial measurements of CRP levels, and their association with HIV clinical failure. A persistently elevated CRP level in plasma (defined as ≥ 5 mg/L at both baseline and 24 weeks after ART initiation) was observed in 50 of 205 individuals (24%). A persistently elevated CRP level but not an elevated CRP level only at a single time point was independently associated with increased clinical failure, compared with a persistently low CRP level, despite achievement of virologic suppression. Serial monitoring of CRP levels could identify individuals who are at highest risk of HIV progression and may benefit from future adjunct antiinflammatory therapies.

In the acute heart failure (AHF) setting, the usefulness of C-reactive protein (CRP) at admission as a risk marker is challenged by the possible confounding effect of an acute-phase response. We thus evaluated the relation of CRP level at discharge (i.e., after stabilization of AHF) with subsequent postdischarge outcome in patients hospitalized for AHF. The acute decompensated heart failure syndromes study prospectively registered 4,269 hospitalized AHF patients with data on CRP levels at discharge. The median CRP level was 3.1 mg/L (interquartile range 1.1 to 9.5 mg/L). Within 120 days after discharge, only CRP levels in the fourth quartile (≥9.6 mg/L) were independently associated with higher all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.68) according to multivariable models with first-quartile (≤1.1 mg/L) as the reference. However, the HR for CRP levels in the fourth quartile decreased markedly with time, and CRP levels in the second (1.2 to 3.1 mg/L) and third (3.2 to 9.5 mg/L) quartiles were independently associated with poorer survival after the 120-day follow-up period (adjusted HR, 1.41 and 1.63, respectively). In addition, only CRP levels in the third quartile were independently associated with the composite end point of all-cause death and readmission for AHF after the 120 days of long-term follow-up (adjusted HR, 1.31). In conclusion, our results suggest that a modestly elevated CRP level (approximately 3 to 10 mg/L) at discharge had unique long-term prognostic implications in hospitalized patients with AHF.

Intestinal inflammation and mucosal damage in Crohn’s disease (CD) are believed to progress even during clinical remission. We investigated the long-term prognosis of CD patients in clinical remission according to serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. This study included 339 CD patients in clinical remission (Crohn’s disease activity index < 150) for more than 6 months between January 2008 and December 2010. Clinical outcomes were compared between patients with normal and elevated CRP levels during clinical remission. During clinical remission, 150 patients had normal CRP consistently and 189 had elevated CRP at least once. During follow-up (median, 7.9 years [interquartile range, 6.8–8.0]), the Kaplan–Meier analysis with the log-rank test showed that normal CRP group had a longer CD-related hospitalization-free survival (P = 0.007) and a longer CD-related intestinal resection-free survival (P = 0.046) than elevated CRP group. In multivariate analysis, elevated CRP was significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of subsequent CD-related hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.787, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.245–2.565, P = 0.002) and of subsequent CD-related intestinal resection (aHR 1.726, 95% CI: 1.003–2.969, P = 0.049). The most common reason for CD-related hospitalization was penetrating complications (35.6%). Even when CD patients are in clinical remission, elevated CRP is significantly associated with subsequent CD-related hospitalization and CD-related intestinal resection during follow-up. CD patients in clinical remission but elevated CRP should receive more careful attention and timely interventions to improve long-term outcomes.

To investigate the association between serum C-reactive protein level and health-related quality of life, and to assess the relationship between the two in terms of controlling for obesity and other covariates.The cross-sectional study was conducted retrospectively at university hospital in Yangsan from January to December 2017 using the nationally representative 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). High C-reactive protein was defined as level ≥1.0mg/L. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Euro-Quality of Life-5 dimensions tool. The association between high C-reactive protein and health-related quality of life was analysed using logistic regression analysis and was adjusted for variables. The subjects were categorised into four groups according to the level of C-reactive protein, and the presence of obesity was analysed.Of the 3376 subjects, 1,413(42%) were men and 1,963(58%) were women. C-reactive protein level was1.0 in 2490(73.7%) subjects and ≥1.0 in 886(26.2%). High CRP level was associated with low health-related quality of life for mobility and usual activities (p0.05). However, in multivariable logistic model, the associations ceased to be statistically significant (p0.05) after adjusting for the presence of obesity.Obesity was found to play an important role in the association between C-reactive protein and healthrelated quality of life in Korean population.

Background Measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as a screening test for acute periprosthetic joint infection has high sensitivity and low specificity. We performed the present study to analyze the causes of elevated CRP levels in the early postoperative period after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study is intended to help the postoperative care of patients through understanding the factors associated with postoperative elevation of CRP. Methods The records for 627 patients who underwent primary TKA between January 2005 and May 2013 were examined. We excluded 50 patients for whom TKA with inflammatory arthritis or revision TKA was performed. We measured serial CRP levels during the 4-week early postoperative period in all included cases to find the cases that showed a CRP pattern of elevation–depression–elevation (a bimodal pattern). We analyzed the causes of re-elevated CRP levels in patients with a bimodal pattern of CRP change. Results Of the 577 included patients, 76 showed bimodal CRP elevation patterns. Eighteen elevations were caused by postoperative infections (periprosthetic infection), 10 by cardiovascular problems, 11 by gastrointestinal problems, 12 by urologic problems, 10 by respiratory problems, and 15 had unknown origins. Conclusion Our study shows that elevated CRP levels after TKA can have various causes. Although there may be other causes for an elevated CRP, it is essential to perform a work-up for prosthetic joint infections. In addition, there seems to be a need to evaluate noninfectious causes and infection of other sites, in addition to periprosthetic infection.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive marker of inflammation that has been linked with prognosis in various solid tumours. In the present study, we analysed the prognostic relevance of elevated plasma CRP levels in prostate cancer patients treated with radiotherapy.A total of 261 prostate cancer patients treated with 3D-conformal radiotherapy were evaluated retrospectively. Cancer specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS) and clinical disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. To evaluate the independent prognostic significance of CRP plasma levels, multivariate Cox regression models were applied.The median follow-time was 80months. Applying receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis, the optimal cut-off level for the plasma CRP was 8.6mgl(-1). An elevated CRP level was associated with decreased CSS in univariate (hazard ratio (HR) 3.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.42-7.91; p=0.006) and multivariate analysis (HR 4.31, 95% CI 1.22-15.1; p=0.023). Furthermore, a significant association with OS was detected in univariate (HR 2.69, 95% CI 1.57-4.59; p0.001) and multivariate analyses (HR 3.24, 95% CI 1.84-5.71, p0.001). Multivariate analysis also showed a significant association between plasma CRP and clinical DFS (HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.02-4.17; p=0.043).In the present study, an elevated plasma CRP (⩾8.6mgl(-1)) has been identified as a prognostic factor for poor CSS, OS and DFS in prostate cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. The association between elevated CRP levels and poor prognosis was independent of other measures of prognosis such as tumour stage, Gleason grading and prostate specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis. If confirmed by additional studies, our findings may contribute to future individual risk assessment in prostate cancer patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of preoperative statin therapy on myocardial protection and morbidity endpoints following off-pump coronary bypass graft surgery (OPCAB) in patients with elevated serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Methods: Of the 492 patients who underwent multivessel OPCAB from March 2007 to February 2009, the records of 144 patients whose baseline hs-CRP level > 2 mg/L were reviewed. According to the history of preoperative statin therapy for at least one week, patients were classified as either statin group or control group (72 subjects each). Preoperative and operative characteristics and postoperative data including troponin (Tn)-T level and major morbidity endpoints were obtained and compared. Major morbidity endpoints were defined as permanent stroke, renal dysfunction, hemostatic re-exploration, deep sternal wound infection, and the number of patients requiring prolonged ventilation. Results: Preoperative and operative characteristics were similar between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the incidence of morbidity endpoints between the two groups, except for the number of patients requiring dialysis, which was significantly lower in the statin group (8 vs. 1, P = 0.033). Tn-T level at 24 h after surgery was also significantly lower in the statin group. Conclusions: In this study, we observed beneficial effects of preoperative statin therapy for at least one week in terms of less myocardial enzyme release and fewer patients requiring dialysis following OPCAB in patients whose preoperative hs-CRP was elevated.

Coelho et al. [1] investigated the use of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels for monitoring of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). They found that patients without a decrease in CRP levels on treatment had an increased mortality compared to patients with a rapid fall of this marker. The authors did not discuss another important use of the analysis of the time course of CRP levels in CAP that applies to patients on both the intensive care unit (ICU) and the general paediatric ward. Empyema fluid has been identified as an important source of CRP in pneumonia [2]. Patients with empyema may have CRP levels of a similar

C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is predictive of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. However, the extent to which high CRP levels (3 mg/L) may be attributable to high cholesterol levels and other CHD risk factors has not been well defined.The prevalence of high CRP levels in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 15 341) was studied using CHD risk-factor cut points designated as abnormal (total cholesterol values,or=240 mg/dL [or=6.22 mmol/L]; fasting blood glucose levels,or=126 mg/dL [or=6.99 mmol/L]; blood pressure,or=140/90 mm Hg; body mass index [BMI],or=30 kg/m(2); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol values,40 mg/dL [1.04 mmol/L] for men and50 mg/dL [1.30 mmol/L] for women; triglyceride levels,or=200 mg/dL [or=2.26 mmol/L]; current smoking status) or borderline (total cholesterol values, 200-239 mg/dL [5.18-6.19 mmol/L]; fasting blood glucose levels, 100-125 mg/dL [5.55-6.94 mmol/L]; blood pressure, 120-139/80-89 mm Hg; BMI, 25.0-29.9 kg/m(2), and triglyceride values 150-199 mg/dL [1.70-2.25 mmol/L], former smoking status), or normal.Weighted multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that high CRP level was significantly more common with obesity (odds ratio [OR], 3.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.28-4.35]), overweight (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.62-2.18), and diabetes (OR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.54-2.38) and that high CRP level was rare in the absence of any borderline or abnormal CHD risk factor in men (4.4%) and women (10.3%). Overall, the risk of elevated CRP level attributable to the presence of any abnormal or borderline CHD risk factor was 78% in men and 67% women.These data suggest that elevated CRP levels in the general population are in large measure attributable to traditional CHD risk factors. Moreover, CRP level elevation is rare in the absence of borderline or abnormal risk factors. As such, CRP measurements may have limited clinical utility as a screening tool beyond other known CHD risk factors.