[C-reactive protein as a useful prognostic marker in acute poisoning]

All inflammatory processes or damaging factors affecting human organism increase the levels of pro-inflammatory proteins, i.e. acute phase proteins, in the serum in a statistically significant way. Among these proteins, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) are of the highest prognostic value for the process dynamics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate feasibility of determining the level of the CRP as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in acute poisonings. Out of a group of 132 patients hospitalised in the Lublin Toxicological Centre, 67 patients observed were poisoned with the CNS acting agents, 17 patients were intoxicated with alcohol, 10 patients overdosed cardio-vascular drugs and 6 were exposed to carbon monoxide. In the above mentioned groups, alcohol and CNS acting agents increased CRP values in over 33% of the patients, whereas in the case of patients under the influence of cardiac drugs or carbon monoxide, the same effect was observed in more than 16% of the cases. Moreover, an attempt to evaluate the dynamics of the CRP level changes in time was undertaken; a concentration increase was observed in 65% of the patients during the second day of hospitalisation. Our results suggest that the determination of the C-reactive protein levels can be a cheap prognostic test evaluating severity of acute poisoning cases.