title: Plasma C-reactive protein levels are associated with mortality in elderly with acute lung injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) level is considered to be a predictor of severity in both hospital- and community-acquired pneumonias, whereas recent reports have shown that higher CRP levels lead to better outcomes in patients with acute lung injury (ALI). To explain this discrepancy, we evaluated the relationship among plasma CRP levels, etiology, affectors of CRP production, and mortality in patients with ALI.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a case-control study of 76 consecutive patients with ALI. The plasma CRP levels had been measured in all of the patients within 1 hour of visiting an emergency department. The associations between the plasma CRP levels and 60-day mortality were analyzed after adjusting for the causes of ALI, disease severity, the patients' age, use of corticosteroids, and presence of hepatic failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CRP levels and patients' ages were strongly related to the mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.005 [P = .007] and 1.059 [P = .011], respectively), whereas the etiology of ALI did not affect the mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.789 [P = .530]) in the Cox proportional hazard models.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The plasma CRP level may be a predictor of mortality in elderly patients with ALI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 2, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, 1-1 Idaigaoka, Yufu (879-5593), Japan. komiyakh1@oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kosaku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komiya
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teramoto
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umeki
authors.forename: Jun-ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kadota
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D055371:Acute Lung Injury / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein