Serum C-reactive protein as a marker for infection and inflammation in regular dialysis patients

Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration was measured in 98 hemodialysis (HD) patients and 68 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients (CAPD). The effect, if any, of a HD session on serum CRP level and the usefulness of CRP in diagnosing and monitoring proven inflammatory disease were studied. Seventy-five percent of CAPD patients without evidence of inflammation had CRP levels within the quoted normal range ( 50 mg/l. These increased CRP levels fell with treatment. A CRP level of >50 mg/l proved highly suggestive of a significant inflammatory process and a value of 50 mg/l or serial/baseline measurements are available for comparison. Whether any relationship exists between elevation of CRP and the well-documented increased risk of cardiovascular death in dialysis patients is currently unknown.