Acute Phase Reactants in Infections: Evidence-Based Review and a Guide for Clinicians
Open Access
- 3 July 2015
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Open Forum Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 2 (3), ofv098
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofv098
Abstract
Acute-phase reactants such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein have traditionally been used as markers for inflammation and as a measure of “sickness index” in infectious and noninfectious conditions. In the last decade, more data have become available on the wider and more specific role for these markers in the management of complex infections. This includes the potential role in early diagnosis, in differentiating infectious from noninfectious causes, as a prognostic marker, and in antibiotic guidance strategies. A better defined role for biological markers as a supplement to clinical assessment may lead to more judicious antibiotic prescriptions, and it has the potential for a long-term favorable impact on antimicrobial stewardship and antibiotic resistance. Procalcitonin as a biological marker has been of particular interest in this regard. This review examines the current published evidence and summarizes the role of various acute-phase markers in infections. A MEDLINE search of English-language articles on acute-phase reactants and infections published between 1986 and March 2015 was conducted. Additional articles were also identified through a search of references from the retrieved articles, published guidelines, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.Keywords
This publication has 53 references indexed in Scilit:
- Inflammatory parameters and prediction of prognosis in infective endocarditisBMC Infectious Diseases, 2013
- Procalcitonin to initiate or discontinue antibiotics in acute respiratory tract infectionsPublished by Wiley ,2011
- Procalcitonin as a Biomarker in Respiratory Tract InfectionClinical Infectious Diseases, 2011
- Diagnostic accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid lactate for differentiating bacterial meningitis from aseptic meningitis: A meta-analysisJournal of Infection, 2011
- Spondylodiscitis: update on diagnosis and managementJournal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2010
- Erisipelas y celulitis. Estudio retrospectivo de 122 casosActas Dermo-Sifiliograficas, 2009
- Procalcitonin kinetics in Legionella pneumophila pneumoniaClinical Microbiology & Infection, 2009
- Extremely elevated C-reactive proteinEuropean Journal of Internal Medicine, 2006
- Acute-Phase Proteins and Other Systemic Responses to InflammationNew England Journal of Medicine, 1999
- C-Reactive Protein Is a Useful Marker for Guiding Duration of Antibiotic Therapy in Suspected Neonatal Bacterial InfectionPEDIATRICS, 1997