C-reactive protein for pulmonary tuberculosis screening and treatment response monitoring in children

C-reactive protein (CRP) was investigated as a marker for diagnostic screening and monitoring response to treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in Kenyan children. For screening, CRP levels did not differ significantly between children with versus without TB. However, median CRP levels decreased significantly during TB treatment in confirmed (p=0.03) and unconfirmed TB (p=0.002) suggesting potential of treatment response monitoring. SUMMARY: CRP levels did not differ significantly between children with versus without TB at diagnosis but decreased significantly during TB treatment in confirmed (p=0.02) and unconfirmed TB (p<0.001). While CRP's diagnostic screening performance was suboptimal, findings suggest potential utility for treatment response monitoring in children with TB.