Utility of acute-phase reactants testing in clinical practice

Abstract

Acute-phase proteins (APPs) or acute phase reactants (APRs) are diverse biochemical proteins which are seen as a response in inflammatory processes due to varied etiologies. Some of these proteins increase and some decrease due to various mechanisms during inflammation. The secretion, time to attain peak concentrations, half-life, and degradation are different for different APPs. Some of the markers can be easily tested with minimum equipment whereas, others require sophisticated instruments. They are not pathognomonic for any one particular disease but their elevation may point toward a bacterial, viral, or noninfectious inflammatory process. Testing for APPs and interpreting the result in correlation with results of other tests and clinical details can help in arriving at a diagnosis, in ordering further appropriate tests and in taking treatment decisions. We attempted to look at the present published literature and summarize the different APRs in inflammation. A MEDLINE search for articles published in the English language, with acute-phase proteins [MeSH Terms] OR acute phase reactants [Text Word] was done for the years between 1985 and 2019. In addition, other cross-referenced articles were also searched for relevant data.

Keywords

• acute phase reactants
• c-reactive protein
• erythrocyte sedimentation rate
• procalcitonin