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C-Reactive protein levels in children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis
Alon Nevet1, Havatzelet Yarden-Bilavsky, Shai Ashkenazi
1Emergency Department, Schneider children's Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel. alon.nevet@gmail.com
Insights
Children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis often show elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, similar to those seen in some bacterial infections. This finding highlights the importance of considering viral infections when interpreting CRP results in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker commonly used to differentiate bacterial from viral infections.
- The interpretation of CRP levels can be complex and context-dependent, requiring further research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the distribution of CRP levels in pediatric patients diagnosed with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.
- To assess the prevalence of elevated CRP in this specific viral infection cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of electronic medical records from a tertiary pediatric center.
- Inclusion criteria: inpatients diagnosed with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis and no concurrent bacterial coinfection.
- Data collected included patient demographics, clinical information, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.
Main Results:
- The study included 66 pediatric patients aged 8 months to 7.1 years.
- The average CRP level was 7.4 mg/dL, significantly higher than the normal range (0.5 mg/dL).
- Over one-third of the patients presented with CRP levels exceeding 7 mg/dL.
Conclusions:
- Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are common in children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.
- These high CRP values are comparable to those observed in adenoviral infections and certain bacterial infections.
- The findings suggest that primary herpetic gingivostomatitis can elicit a significant inflammatory response, leading to elevated CRP levels.
Background:
C-reactive protein (CRP) is often used to distinguish bacterial from viral infections. However, the CRP level does have implications, which depend on the clinical scenario and are still under research.
Objectives:
To evaluate the distribution of CRP levels in children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.
Methods:
The electronic database of a tertiary pediatric medical center was searched for all inpatients with a diagnosis of primary herpetic gingivostomatitis without bacterial coinfection. Background and clinical information was collected and CRP levels were analyzed.
Results:
The study group consisted of 66 patients aged 8 months to 7.1 years who met the study criteria. The average CRP was 7.4 mg/dl (normal 0.5 mg/dl). More than a third of the patients had a level higher than 7 mg/dl.
Conclusions:
High values of CRP are prevalent in patients with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis, similar to adenoviral infections and some bacterial infections.
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