Abstract

Background: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an established marker of cardiovascular risk particularly in primary prevention. For years, it was exclusively measured using automated methods in clinical laboratories, but point-of-care tests (POCT) are urgently needed to simplify and hasten the determination of hsCRP.
Methods: This study compared a novel hsCRP POCT with an established nephelometric method in 104 patients showing a broad spectrum of cardiovascular risk.
Results: The results indicated a moderate agreement of the POCT with the standard method, with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 80% to detect elevated hsCRP (> 1 mg/L).
Conclusions: The minimization of sample volume appears to be the most promising strategy for future test improvement.

DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2015.141108