C-Reactive protein levels in children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.

BACKGROUND

C-reactive protein (CRP) is often used to distinguish bacterial from viral infections. However, the CRP level does have implications, which depend on the clinical scenario and are still under research.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the distribution of CRP levels in children with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis.

METHODS

The electronic database of a tertiary pediatric medical center was searched for all inpatients with a diagnosis of primary herpetic gingivostomatitis without bacterial coinfection. Background and clinical information was collected and CRP levels were analyzed.

RESULTS

The study group consisted of 66 patients aged 8 months to 7.1 years who met the study criteria. The average CRP was 7.4 mg/dl (normal 0.5 mg/dl). More than a third of the patients had a level higher than 7 mg/dl.

CONCLUSIONS

High values of CRP are prevalent in patients with primary herpetic gingivostomatitis, similar to adenoviral infections and some bacterial infections.