Comparison of measures of diagnostic accuracy for CRP, ESR, and PV, singly and in combination for diagnosis of any relevant disease (infection, autoimmune condition, or cancer)
| Test and test combinations | Patients, n | True-positive, n (%) | False-positive, n (%) | True-negative, n (%) | False-negative, n (%) | Sensitivity (95% CI) | Specificity (95% CI) | PPV (95% CI) | NPV (95% CI) | DOR unadjusted (95% CI) | DOR adjusteda (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRP | 97 203 | 3947 (4.1) | 18 745 (19.3) | 69 797 (71.8) | 4714 (4.8) | 45.6 (44.5 to 46.6) | 78.8 (78.6 to 79.1) | 17.4 (16.9 to 17.9) | 93.7 (93.5 to 93.9) | 3.12 (2.98 to 3.26) | 2.86 (2.73 to 2.99) |
| ESR | 79 430 | 2780 (3.5) | 15 589 (19.6) | 57 221 (72.0) | 3840 (4.8) | 42.0 (40.8 to 43.2) | 78.6 (78.3 to 78.9) | 15.1 (14.6 to 15.7) | 93.7 (93.5 to 93.9) | 2.66 (2.52 to 2.80) | 2.43 (2.30 to 2.55) |
| PV | 13 834 | 536 (3.9) | 3242 (23.4) | 9439 (68.2) | 617 (4.5) | 46.5 (43.6 to 49.4) | 74.4 (73.7 to 75.2) | 14.2 (13.1 to 15.3) | 93.9 (93.4 to 94.3) | 2.53 (2.24 to 2.86) | 2.32 (2.05 to 2.62) |
| CRP + ESRb | 43 820 | 1277 (2.9) | 4269 (9.7) | 35 574 (81.2) | 2700 (6.2) | 32.1 (30.7 to 33.6) | 89.3 (89.0 to 89.6) | 23.0 (21.9 to 24.2) | 93.0 (92.7 to 93.2) | 3.94 (3.66 to 4.24) | 3.56 (3.31 to 3.84) |
| CRP|ESRc | 43 820 | 2225 (5.1) | 12 271 (28.0) | 27 572 (62.9) | 1752 (4.0) | 56.0 (54.4 to 57.5) | 69.2 (68.8 to 69.7) | 15.4 (14.8 to 16.0) | 94.0 (93.8 to 94.3) | 2.85 (2.67 to 3.05) | 2.61 (2.44 to 2.79) |
| CRP + PV | 9575 | 267 (2.8) | 974 (10.2) | 7784 (81.3) | 550 (5.7) | 32.7 (29.5 to 36.0) | 88.9 (88.2 to 89.5) | 21.5 (19.3 to 23.9) | 93.4 (92.9 to 93.9) | 3.88 (3.30 to 4.56) | 3.56 (3.02 to 4.19) |
| CRP|PV | 9575 | 495 (5.2) | 3110 (32.5) | 5648 (59.0) | 322 (3.4) | 60.6 (57.1 to 64.0) | 64.5 (63.5 to 65.5) | 13.7 (12.6 to 14.9) | 94.6 (94.0 to 95.2) | 2.79 (2.41 to 3.23) | 2.59 (2.24 to 3.01) |
↵a DOR = diagnostic odds ratio, adjusted for age and sex.
↵b CRP + ESR; positive test defined as both CRP and ESR positive.
↵c CRP|ESR; positive test defined as either CRP or ESR positive. CRP = C-reactive protein. ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate. NPV = negative predictive value. PPV = positive predictive value. PV = plasma viscosity.