The Usefulness of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) to Differentiate between Severe and Non-Severe Dengue in Children

Abstract

High sensitivity CRP (Hs-CRP) has not been studied in children with dengue so far. We conducted this descriptive cross-sectional study to compare hs-CRP levels between a group of 31 children under 12 year of age with dengue (positive NS1 antigen and/IgM ELISA for dengue) and healthy comparison group and between severe and non-severe dengue cases. Hs-CRP levels were assessed in sera of hospitalized dengue cases and healthy controls. Median (IQR) hs-CRP levels were 46.59 (34.8, 67.0) mg/L and 0.530 (0.00, 2.79) mg/L respectively in dengue cases and healthy controls which was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Median (IQR) hs-CRP levels in severe and non-severe dengue patients were 46.59 (34.77, 68.43) and 46.67 (24.33, 63.79) mg/L respectively which was statistically not significant (p = 0.85). Hs-CRP level was significantly higher in dengue children as compared to healthy controls. But no significant difference in hs-CRP level was found between severe and non-severe dengue patients.