Clinical significance of C-reactive protein in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

• Published in: Journal of Rural Medicine Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 66 - 70
• Main Authors: Yanagawa, Youichi, Maekawa, Chihiro, Tanaka, Noriko, Suda, Namiko, Kawai, Kenji, Hamada, Michika, Ota, Soichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION OF RURAL MEDICINE 01.04.2025; The Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
• Subjects: C-reactive protein; male prevalence; mixed infection; Review; severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome; severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome; C-reactive protein; mixed infection; male prevalence
• ISSN: 1880-487X; 1880-4888
• DOI: 10.2185/jrm.2024-059

Objective: To examine the clinical significance of elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in cases of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), with a particular focus on their role in predicting outcomes beyond that of previous reports.Patients and Methods: CRP values and SFTS case data retrieved from a PubMed search were extracted for analysis. For comparison, the subjects were divided into two groups based on their CRP levels: normal (CRP ≤0.3 mg/mL) and elevated (CRP >0.3 mg/dL).Results: Forty-four cases were identified: 25 with normal CRP levels and 19 with elevated CRP levels. In an univariate analysis, no significant differences were observed between the two groups with respect to age, sex, date of blood examination, white blood cell count, outcome, or lactate dehydrogenase, alanine transaminase, creatine, or ferritin levels. However, the normal group contained a higher proportion of women, and the incidence of other infectious diseases was relatively low.Conclusion: In cases of SFTS, a CRP level >0.3 mg/dL in the first collection indicates the potential for a mixed infection other than an SFTS-associated infection and male prevalence. Further prospective studies are necessary to confirm whether the findings of the present study are generalizable among patients with SFTS.