The significance of high sensitive C reactive protein for the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection

Objective To evaluate the significance of the high sensitive C reactive protein test for the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection. Methods 100 neonatal cases with suspected bacterial infection who were admitted to our neonatal ward during 2004 to 2005 were enrolled to perform a prospective study. The hsCRP, CRP and blood routine test of all the cases were conducted and analyzed with their clinical characteristics. Results In the 100 cases, there were 38 cases with bacterial infection (n=38) and the other 62 neonates without bacterial infection (n=62). There were 72 cases with hsCRP level below 2.25mg/L (hsCRP ≤2.25mg/L) and 11 cases in the range of 2.26mg/L to 7.99mg/L. The cap level of 17 cases was above 8mg/L (CRP≥8mg/L). The sensitivity and the Youden index of hsCRP for the diagnosis of focal bacterial ingection were higher than others. Conclusions HsCRP test is feasible for the diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection.