ArticleBJGP open2021
C-reactive protein cut-offs used for acute respiratory infections in Danish general practice.
Article in BJGP open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed.
- Out-of-hours C-reactive protein point-of-care testing and its association with long-term healthcare-seeking.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- The decision-making process in general practice of when to use antibiotics to treat acute rhinosinusitis.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Is C-reactive protein the answer to antibiotics over-prescribing in primary care? A behavioural experiment in two European countries.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2026Article
- Age-Structured Clinical Background Is More Strongly Associated with C-Reactive Protein Levels than Individual Respiratory Viruses During Respiratory Virus Testing.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Feasibility of C-reactive protein point-of-care testing for antibiotic stewardship in rural GP-pharmacy settings.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2026Article
- The effect of focused lung ultrasound on antibiotic prescribing in patients with acute lower respiratory tract infections in Danish general practice (PLUS-FLUS): a pragmatic, randomised controlled, post-market trial.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in general practice out-of-hours services: tool or trap?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Article
- C-reactive protein testing in primary care and antibiotic use in children with acute respiratory tract infections in Kyrgyzstan: an open-label, individually randomised, controlled trial.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Article
- The diagnostic accuracy of blood C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in periprosthetic joint infections - A 10-year analysis of 1510 revision hip and knee arthroplasties from a single orthopaedic center.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Use of point-of-care tests in pharyngotonsillitis - a registry-based study in primary health care.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Differentiating viral and bacterial infections: A machine learning model based on routine blood test values.Heliyon · 2024Article
- The use and usefulness of point-of-care tests in patients with pharyngotonsillitis - an observational study in primary health care.BMC primary care · 2024Observational
- C-reactive protein point-of-care testing in primary care-broader implementation needed to combat antimicrobial resistance.Frontiers in public health · 2024Review
- The Role of CRP POC Testing in the Fight against Antibiotic Overuse in European Primary Care: Recommendations from a European Expert Panel.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Factors associated with C-reactive protein testing when prescribing antibiotics in general practice: a register-based study.BMC primary care · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGPs can use the C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care test (POCT) to assist when deciding whether to prescribe antibiotics for patients with acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs).
aimTo estimate the CRP cut-off levels that Danish GPs use to guide antibiotic prescribing for patients presenting with different signs and symptoms of RTIs. DESIGN &
settingA cross-sectional study conducted in general practice in Denmark.
methodDuring the winters of 2017 and 2018, 143 GPs and their staff registered consecutive patients with symptoms of an RTI according to the Audit Project Odense (APO) method. CRP cut-offs were estimated as the lowest level at which half of the patients were prescribed an antibiotic.
resultsIn total, 7813 patients were diagnosed with an RTI, of whom 4617 (59%) had a CRP test performed. At least 25% of the patients were prescribed an antibiotic when the CRP level was >20 mg/L, at least 50% when CRP was >40 mg/L, and at least 75% when CRP was >50 mg/L. Lower thresholds were identified for patients aged ≥65 years and those presenting with a fever, poor general appearance, dyspnoea, abnormal lung auscultation, or ear/facial pain, and if the duration of symptoms was either short (≤1 day) or long (>14 days).
conclusionMore than half of patients presenting to Danish general practice with symptoms of an RTI have a CRP test performed. At CRP levels >40 mg/L, the majority of patients have an antibiotic prescribed.
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