Role of maternal plasma crp levels in early and mid-pregnancy as a diagnostic marker for predicting preterm delivery- A clinical study

Recently the measurement of C-reactive protein in maternal serum has been suggested to have a predictive value in the diagnosis of preterm labour. CRP can prove useful in identifying early infection which could lead to preterm labour. Study is to assess the role of maternal plasma CRP levels in early and mid-pregnancy as a diagnostic marker for predicting preterm delivery. Material and Method: The present study comprised of a total of 100 pregnant women with singleton fetus with gestational age less than 28 weeks. CRP levels in maternal blood were measured in both groups in early and mid-pregnancy. Patients were followed subsequently to see how many go into pre-term labor. Study group comprised of 50 cases who delivered pre term while control group comprised of 50 cases who delivered at term (≥37 weeks). Result: In the study group, mean CRP level was 11.32±3.66 mg/L whereas in control group mean CRP level was 6.63±2.69. Thus mean CRP level in study group was significantly higher than control group. The ideal cut off value of CRP is 8.0 mg/L according to our data. In CRP positive cases (CRP≥8mg/L) the percentage of cases delivering preterm was higher (76.36%) than in CRP negative cases (17.77%). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of CRP was 84%, 74%, 76%, 82% respectively. Conclusion: Very high levels of maternal CRP (≥8mg/L) in early and mid-pregnancy were associated with increased risk of preterm delivery.