SEARCHNARRATIVE_REVIEWinternal medicine, clinical trial

narrative_review·internal medicine, clinical trial, immunology, research methods, cardiology·PMC10594506

C-Reactive Protein: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, False Test Results and a Novel Diagnostic Algorithm for Clinicians

Diseases · 1 author, 1 centre

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

This narrative review synthesizes evidence on the biochemistry, pathobiology, and clinical utility of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) as an inflammation biomarker across numerous diseases. It also highlights factors that can lead to false CRP test results and proposes a diagnostic algorithm for clinicians.

Full summary

826 CHARS

It evaluates the current evidence for CRP as a biomarker across a wide spectrum of human diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatobiliary, gastrointestinal, renal, and neoplastic conditions, as well as infections and autoimmune diseases. A significant portion discusses molecular diagnostics, detailing preanalytical and analytical errors that can lead to false test results, such as those caused by hemolysis, lipemia, icterus, heterophilic antibodies, and paraproteins. The review concludes that while CRP is a useful marker, its precise predictive or diagnostic role for specific conditions remains unclear in the current literature, and it proposes a novel diagnostic algorithm for clinical assessment. The implications are that clinicians must be aware of potential test interferences to avoid misdiagnosis.

STUDY TYPE

narrative_review

SPECIALTY

internal medicine

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10594506

C-Reactive Protein: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, False Test Results and a Novel Diagnostic Algorithm for Clinicians

Diseases

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

The current literature provides a body of evidence on C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and its potential role in inflammation. However, most pieces of evidence are sparse and controversial. This critical state-of-the-art monography provides all the crucial data on the potential biochemical properties of the protein, along with further evidence on its potential pathobiology, both for its pentameric and monomeric forms, including information for its ligands as well as the possible function of autoantibodies against the protein. Furthermore, the current evidence on its potential utility as a biomarker of various diseases is presented, of all cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatobiliary, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, renal, gynecological, andrological, dental, oral, otorhinolaryngological, ophthalmological, dermatological, musculoskeletal, neurological, mental, splenic, thyroid conditions, as well as infections, autoimmune-supposed conditions and neoplasms, including other possible factors that have been linked with elevated concentrations of that protein. Moreover, data on molecular diagnostics on CRP are discussed, and possible etiologies of false test results are highlighted. Additionally, this review evaluates all current pieces of evidence on CRP and systemic inflammation, and highlights future goals. Finally, a novel diagnostic algorithm to carefully assess the CRP level for a precise diagnosis of a medical condition is illustrated.

CITATION EXPORT

Dimitra S. Mouliou. C-Reactive Protein: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, False Test Results and a Novel Diagnostic Algorithm for Clinicians. Diseases. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases11040132

AUTHORS

1 · 1 CENTRES

Dimitra S. Mouliou

38500 Volos, Magnesia, Greece; [email protected]

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Massimiliano Gasparrini