[C-reactive protein or blood sedimentation reaction os preventive studies in the physician's laboratory?].
The laboratory examinations are more and more significant in the practical internal medicine. The results are basic for decision-making in medicine. The patients are asking for check-up examinations, including screening examinations in the laboratory. We try to compare the significance of two important laboratory tests. The C-reactive protein (CRP) is very sensitive and allows a graduation of the inflammatory reaction. It is useful to take the CRP in a valuable screening examination. Compared with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), an elevated CRP always signifies an organic illness. A normal ESR has a poor predictive value. An elevated ESR supports only the history and the clinical findings of a suspected diagnoses. There is no possibility to screen patients without symptoms by ESR. We use ESR to follow-up diseases like arteritis temporalis and polymyalgia rheumatica and to measure the therapeutic effect.
Steiner
A
A
Departement für Innere Medizin, Medizinische Poliklinik, Universitätsspital Zürich.
Vetter
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011111:Polymyalgia Rheumatica / Q000097:blood; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests
D002097:C-Reactive Protein
C-reaktives Protein oder Blutsenkungsreaktion als Vorsorgeuntersuchung im Arztlabor?