title: C reactive protein in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out if the C reactive protein concentration is of any value in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, either alone or in combination with other laboratory tests.
  
  
  METHODS
  Open study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Drechtsteden Hospital, Dordrecht, and Spaarne Hospital, Heemstede, The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  209 consecutive patients admitted with suspected appendicitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Correlation of C reactive protein concentration with age, sex, body temperature, duration of abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, white cell count, neutrophil count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and histological appearance of the appendix.
  
  
  RESULTS
  125 patients of the 209 patients had their appendixes removed, and of these 101 had histologically confirmed appendicitis: A C reactive protein concentration of > or = 6 mg/1 alone had a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 50%. When the selected variables were subjected to multivariate analysis the most important, in decreasing order, were white blood cell count, female sex, and C reactive protein concentration. Combining the variables was of no additional value.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  measurement of the C reactive protein concentration can increase the accuracy in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Drechtsteden Hospital, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Zwinderman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teeuwen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Andel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oldenziel
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kerkhoff
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Siebbeles
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: van der Helm
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001064:Appendicitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein