Role of CSF-CRP as a bedside diagnostic test in children with meningitis.

Meningitis is a formidable illness with high mortality and morbidity in India. Delay in distinguishing pyogenic meningitis from tuberculous and viral meningitis and delay in starting therapy on one hand and irrational use of antibiotics on the other hand may have irrevocable consequences, so, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of pyogenic meningitis is very vital to prevent permanent neurological deficits. Detection of C-reative protein in CSF is a bed side rapid diagnostic test to distinguish pyogenic from tuberculous and viral meningitis. So, present study was undertaken to study the usefulness of c-reactive protein in CSF as a rapid diagnostic test in differentiating pyogenic from tuberculous and viral meningitis. This study was conducted at Smt Shardaben Hospital from Sept-2008 to Nov-2010. Total 150 cases admitted in paediatric department and neonates admitted to the sick nursery suspected of having meningitis were included. Samples of CSF were taken for bed side diagnostic test of CSF-CRP. The major advantage of this method is rapid two minute reaction time. Our study revealed that out of 150 cases of suspected meningitis 64 (42.66%) patient were having meningitis out of which 18 (12%) patients were diagnosed as pyogenic meningitis and CSF CRP was positive in 10 (55.55 %) patients out of 18 pyogenic meningitis patients and CSF-CRP was negative in all other groups Applying chisquare test, correlation between CSF-CRP positivity and pyoganic meningitis was highly significant (x2 = 31)(i.e.> 3.84)