High CRP Causes (When Should You Start Antibiotics?)

What level of CRP warrants treatment with antibiotics? Is elevated CRP (C-Reactive Protein) a reliable marker of bacterial infection? How high is CRP in bacterial infections (pneumonia, sepsis) versus viral infections (acute bronchitis, influenza, common cold)? What threshold is most reliable in differentiating between viral and bacterial infections? How can we use CRP to monitor the response to treatment? In this video, you'll learn how to get the most out of this widespread test and avoid the most common mistakes. If you use CRP in clinical practice, I also recommend you read the articles I included in the references.

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A Clinical Approach to Serious Infections in Adults: What Every Physician Should Know:
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DISCLAIMER: Please, always keep in mind that my videos are intended for educational purposes only. The content of my videos is NOT medical advice. I do not practice medicine over the internet. If you are a patient and have any questions about your health, please talk to your doctor.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
00:55 Normal CRP levels , CRP levels in viral respiratory infections, CRP levels in pneumonia
03:08 Different units of mesurement for CRP
03:35 How fast does CRP increase?
04:30 How CRP levels change over time in uncomplicated viral infections
06:15 Non-bacterial and non-infectious causes of elevated CRP
07:12 The use of CRP in monitoring the response to treatment

REFERENCES & RECOMMENDED READING:
1. Steurer J, Held U, Spaar A, Bausch B, Zoller M, Hunziker R, et al. A decision aid to rule out pneumonia and reduce unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics in primary care patients with cough and fever. BMC Med. 2011 May 13;9:56.
2. Ruiz-González A, Utrillo L, Bielsa S, Falguera M, Porcel JM. The Diagnostic Value of Serum C-Reactive Protein for Identifying Pneumonia in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Respiratory Symptoms. J Biomark. 2016;2016:2198745.
3. Andreeva E, Melbye H. Usefulness of C-reactive protein testing in acute cough/respiratory tract infection: an open cluster-randomized clinical trial with C-reactive protein testing in the intervention group. BMC Fam Pract. 2014 May 2;15:80.
4. Llor C, Plana-Ripoll O, Moragas A, Bayona C, Morros R, Pera H, et al. Is C-reactive protein testing useful to predict outcome in patients with acute bronchitis? Fam Pract. 2014 Oct;31(5):530–7.
5. Melbye H, Hvidsten D, Holm A, Nordbø SA, Brox J. The course of C-reactive protein response in untreated upper respiratory tract infection. Br J Gen Pract. 2004 Sep;54(506):653–8.
6. Fan SL, Miller NS, Lee J, Remick DG. Diagnosing Sepsis – The Role of Laboratory Medicine. Clin Chim Acta. 2016 Sep 1;460:203–10.