Sumera Shaikh, Erum Salim, Pushpa Vali Ram, Shaima Sultana Memon, Adnan Zubairi, Shahnwer Ali Khawaja, Areebah Asim.
Correlation of C-reactive protein and total leukocyte count in acute infections: a single center study.
Pak J Surg Jan ;35(4):271-4.

Objective:C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of the many diagnostic markers used to detect an infection. However, it is non-specific and its usefulness is therefore limited, especially for diagnostic purposes. An alternative is to monitor total leukocyte count (TLC) along with absolute neutrophil count (ANC). The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between CRP and TLC in patients with acute infections and to determine their usefulness as inflammatory markers. Materials and Methods:A total of 100 patients presenting in different out patient departments (OPDs) of our hospital, with complaints of fever and no history of antibiotic use were included in this study. Complete blood count (CBC) samples were collected in EDTA tubes and measured on Cell Dyn Ruby Abbot Analyzer. CRP estimation of the samples was done by Rx Daytona analyzer, based on immune-turbidimetric assay. Results: High White Blood Cell (WBC)count was seen in 78% of patients and normal or low WBC count was seen in 22% of the patients. Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) was raised in 60% of the patients and normal or low in 40% of the patients. CRP was raised (> 5mg/dl) in 93% of the cases and normal or low in 5% of the cases. Conclusion: CRP and TLC including ANC are valuable markers in acute bacterial infections as they have a positive correlation with each other. When they are measured together, it increases their diagnostic value because of their feasibility and sensitivity.

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