The use of C-reactive protein in predicting bacterial co-Infection in children with bronchiolitis
Open Access
- 1 January 2011
- journal article
- Published by Medknow in North American Journal of Medical Sciences
- Vol. 3 (3), 152-156
- https://doi.org/10.4297/najms.2011.3152
Abstract
Bronchiolitis is a potentially life-threatening respiratory illness commonly affecting children who are less than two years of age. Patients with viral lower respiratory tract infection are at risk for co-bacterial infection. The aim of our study was to evaluate the use of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting bacterial co-infection in patients hospitalized for bronchiolitis and to correlate the results with the use of antibiotics. This is a prospective study that included patients diagnosed with bronchiolitis admitted to Makassed General Hospital in Beirut from October 2008 to April 2009. A tracheal aspirate culture was taken from all patients with bronchiolitis on admission to the hospital. Blood was drawn to test C-reactive protein level, white cell count, transaminases level, and blood sugar level. Forty-nine patients were enrolled in the study and were divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients with positive tracheal aspirate culture and Group 2 included those with negative culture. All patients with a CRP level ≥2 mg/dL have had bacterial co-infection. White cell count, transaminases and blood sugar levels were not predictive for bacterial co-infection. The presence of bacterial co-infection increased the length of hospital stay in the first group by 2 days compared to those in the second group. Bacterial co-infection is frequent in infants with moderate to severe bronchiolitis and requires admission. Our data showed that a CRP level greater than 1.1 mg/dL raised suspicion for bacterial co-infection. Thus, a tracheal aspirate should be investigated microbiologically in all hospitalized patients in order to avoid unnecessary antimicrobial therapy and to shorten the duration of the hospital stay.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- Comparison of total white blood cell count and serum C-reactive protein levels in confirmed bacterial and viral infectionsThe Journal of Pediatrics, 2006
- Diagnosis and Management of BronchiolitisPediatrics, 2006
- High incidence of pulmonary bacterial co-infection in children with severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitisThorax, 2006
- Pulmonary and systemic bacterial co-infections in severe RSV bronchiolitisArchives of Disease in Childhood, 2004
- Glucocorticoids for acute viral bronchiolitis in infants and young childrenPublished by Wiley ,2004
- Procalcitonin, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein and leukocyte counts in infants with bronchiolitisThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 2003
- Respiratory syncytial virus puzzle: Clinical features, pathophysiology, treatment, and preventionThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1992
- Isolation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus from Liver Tissue and Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia MaterialScandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1990
- C-reactive protein in respiratory virus infectionsThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1985
- Bacterial Adherence to Virus-Infected Cells: A Cell Culture Model of Bacterial SuperinfectionThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1978