All issues > Volume 24(5); 1981

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1981;24(5):451-458. Published online May 15, 1981.

Correlation between Body Temperature C-reactive Protein, Erythrocyte Sedimention Rate and Leukocytes in Infections of Infancy and Childhood.

W H Choi, S H Kim, I K Paik, C M Kang

¹Department of Pediatrics, Presbyterian Medical Center Keimyung University School of Medicine Daegu, Korea.

Abstract

Body temperature and several laboratory tests including C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocyte count and the percentage of neurophil leukocytes were determined on total 372 cases(male:221, female:151) of infectious disease which were admitted to the pediatric department of presbyterian Medical Center, Daegu, Korea during the period of 1 year and 7 months from January 1978 to July 1979. Following results were obtained and observed the correlation between those tests. 1. Abnormal findings of these tests were observed as follows. CRP in 37.09% of the infectious patients, ESR in 40.59%, percentage of neutrophil leukocytes in 44.08% noted the high significance in diagnosis of infectious diseases but 19.08% and 9.4% of cases had elevated temperature and leukocyte counts, respectively. 2. The incidence of positive reaction of CRP has no difference by the age but elevation of ESR was noted in a few cases below the age of 1 yr. 3. The elevation of ESR and the percentage of neutrophil leukocytes had a close relationship with the incidence of positive reactions of CRP and the intensity of CRP also parallels with the levels of ESR and the percentage of neutrophl leukocyte. 4. There wart no close correlation between the incidence of positive reaction of CRP, body temperature and the leukocyte count but the intensity of the positive reaction of CRP was higher in high temperatre group. 5. The incidence of positive ureactions of CRP was high in the baterial infections such as sepsis(l00%) salmonellosis(100%), shigellosis(l00%), pneumonia(76.47%), CNS infection(65%), U-T infections(60%) and in tonsillitis(60%), in contract to viral infection in which the incidence of positive reactions was low, URI(27.45%) viral hepatitis(28.57%) and chicken pox(33.33%).

Keywords :Body Temperature;C-reactive protein;Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate;Leukocyte;Infection