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Use of saliva sample to detect C-reactive protein in children with pneumonia
Chih-Min Tsai1, Kuo-Shu Tang1, Ming-Chou Cheng1
1Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Insights
Salivary C-reactive protein (CRP) shows promise as a noninvasive biomarker for pediatric pneumonia. This method is simpler and more patient-friendly than traditional blood tests for diagnosing childhood pneumonia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Biomarker Discovery
- Inflammatory Disease Diagnostics
Background:
- Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a key inflammation marker for diagnosing pneumonia.
- Blood sampling for CRP analysis poses challenges in pediatric patients.
- Salivary analysis offers a noninvasive, patient-friendly alternative for pediatric diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate salivary CRP as a diagnostic biomarker in children with pneumonia.
- To compare salivary CRP levels with serum CRP levels in pediatric pneumonia patients.
- To assess the feasibility of using saliva for monitoring pneumonia progression.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving pediatric patients (2-17 years) with pneumonia and healthy controls.
- Collection of paired saliva and serum samples for CRP analysis at admission and follow-up.
- Analysis of CRP levels and correlation with clinical status and serum CRP.
Main Results:
- Salivary CRP levels were significantly higher in children with pneumonia compared to healthy controls (48.77 vs 14.78 ng/mL).
- Salivary CRP strongly correlated with serum CRP levels in pediatric pneumonia patients (r=0.679).
- Salivary CRP effectively predicted high serum CRP levels, indicating its potential for monitoring disease severity.
Conclusions:
- Salivary CRP is a viable alternative to serum CRP for diagnosing pneumonia in children.
- The noninvasive nature of saliva collection makes it particularly beneficial for pediatric patients.
- Salivary CRP levels decrease as pneumonia improves, supporting its use in monitoring treatment response.
Background:
Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) is a sensitive biomarker for inflammation and is broadly used to clinically diagnose infectious diseases, including pneumonia. However, blood sampling is fraught with technical difficulties in children. The salivary analysis may be a potential diagnostic tool, as it is noninvasive, patient-friendly, and easy to perform in children. This study aimed to evaluate the use of salivary CRP as a biomarker for children with pneumonia.
Methods:
A prospective study was conducted in patients aged 2 to 17 years, admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. Saliva and serum samples for CRP and chemokine determination were collected at the initial admission and during a follow-up from pediatric patients with pneumonia. Salivary samples were also collected from healthy subjects used as controls.
Results:
A total of 60 healthy children and 106 pediatric patients with pneumonia were enrolled in this study. The salivary CRP level was much higher in pediatric patients with pneumonia than in healthy children (48.77 ± 5.52 ng/mL vs 14.78 ± 3.92 ng/mL; P < .001). Salivary CRP level was highly correlated with serum CRP level in pediatric patients with pneumonia (r = .679; P < .001). Salivary CRP level (≥40.307 ng/mL) can be used to predict high serum CRP levels (≥80 mg/L) with an area under the curve of 0.810 (95% confidence interval, 0.740-0.881). As pneumonia improved, both salivary and serum CRP levels decreased during follow-up.
Conclusions:
Salivary CRP could be an alternative biomarker for serum CRP in pediatric patients with pneumonia. This is especially beneficial for pediatric patients, as saliva collection is simple, noninvasive, and patient-friendly.
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