Performance characteristics of inflammatory markers for relevant disease, including infections, autoimmune conditions, and cancer
| True-positive, n | False-positive, n | True-negative, n | False-negative, n | Sensitivity, % (95% CI) | Specificity, % (95% CI) | AUC, % (95% CI) | PPV, % (95% CI) | NPV, % (95% CI) | DORa (unadjusted) (95% CI) | DOR, (adjusted for age and sex) (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRP, n= 97 203 | |||||||||||
| Any relevant disease | 3947 | 18 745 | 69 797 | 4714 | 45.6 (44.5 to 46.6) | 78.8 (78.6 to 79.1) | 0.65 (0.64 to 0.66) | 17.4 (16.9 to 17.9) | 93.7 (93.5 to 93.9) | 3.12b (2.98 to 3.26) | 2.86b (2.73 to 2.99) |
| Infection | 1780 | 20 912 | 72 279 | 2232 | 44.4 (42.8 to 45.9) | 77.6 (77.3 to 77.8) | 0.64 (0.63 to 0.65) | 7.84 (7.5 to 8.2) | 97.0 (96.9 to 97.1) | 2.76b (2.59 to 2.94) | 2.74b (2.57 to 2.92) |
| Autoimmune conditions | 1404 | 21 288 | 73 063 | 1448 | 49.2 (47.3 to 51.1) | 77.4 (77.2 to 77.7) | 0.66 (0.65 to 0.67) | 6.19 (5.88 to 6.51) | 98.1 (97.9 to 98.2) | 3.33b (3.09 to 3.59) | 3.05b (2.83 to 3.29) |
| Cancer | 915 | 21 777 | 73 360 | 1151 | 44.3 (42.1 to 46.5) | 77.1 (76.8 to 77.4) | 0.64 (0.63 to 0.65) | 4.03 (3.78 to 4.30) | 98.5 (98.4 to 98.5) | 2.68b (2.45 to 2.92) | 2.04b (1.86 to 2.23) |
| ESR, n= 79 430 | |||||||||||
| Any relevant disease | 2780 | 15 589 | 57 221 | 3840 | 42.0 (40.8 to 43.2) | 78.6 (78.3 to 78.9) | 0.64 (0.64 to 0.65) | 15.1 (14.6 to 15.7) | 93.7 (93.5 to 93.9) | 2.66b (2.52 to 2.80) | 2.43b (2.30 to 2.56) |
| Infection | 918 | 17 451 | 59 251 | 1810 | 33.7 (31.9 to 35.5) | 77.3 (77.0 to 77.5) | 0.58 (0.57 to 0.59) | 5.0 (4.69 to 5.32) | 97.0 (96.9 to 97.2) | 1.72b (1.59 to 1.87) | 1.67b (1.54 to 1.82) |
| Autoimmune conditions | 1285 | 17 084 | 59 872 | 1189 | 51.9 (50.0 to 53.9) | 77.8 (77.5 to 78.1) | 0.70 (0.69 to 0.71) | 7.0 (6.63 to 7.37) | 98.0 (97.9 to 98.2) | 3.79b (3.49 to 4.10) | 3.40b (3.14 to 3.69) |
| Cancer | 696 | 17 673 | 60 120 | 941 | 42.5 (40.1 to 45.0) | 77.3 (77.0 to 77.6) | 0.65 (0.63 to 0.66) | 3.79 (3.52 to 4.08) | 98.5 (98.4 to 98.6) | 2.52b (2.28 to 2.78) | 2.07b (1.87 to 2.30) |
| Plasma viscosity, n= 13 834 | |||||||||||
| Any relevant disease | 536 | 3242 | 9439 | 617 | 46.5 (43.6 to 49.4) | 74.4 (73.7 to 75.2) | 0.63 (0.61 to 0.65) | 13.9 (12.9 to 15.1) | 93.9 (93.4 to 94.3) | 2.53b (2.23 to 2.86) | 2.32b (2.05 to 2.62) |
| Infection | 183 | 3595 | 9767 | 289 | 38.8 (34.3 to 43.3) | 73.1 (72.3 to 73.9) | 0.58 (0.55 to 0.61) | 4.84 (4.18 to 5.58) | 97.1 (96.8 to 97.4) | 1.72b (1.42 to 2.08) | 1.68b (1.39 to 2.04) |
| Autoimmune conditions | 234 | 3544 | 9834 | 222 | 51.3 (46.6 to 56.0) | 73.5 (72.8 to 74.3) | 0.65 (0.63 to 0.68) | 6.19 (5.45 to 7.01) | 97.8 (97.5 to 98.1) | 2.92b (2.42 to 3.53) | 2.65b (2.19 to 3.21) |
| Cancer | 141 | 3637 | 9922 | 134 | 51.3 (45.2 to 57.3) | 73.2 (72.4 to 73.9) | 0.64 (0.61 to 0.68) | 3.73 (3.15 to 4.39) | 98.7 (98.4 to 98.9) | 2.87b (2.206 to 3.65) | 2.38b (1.86 to 3.03) |
↵a Diagnostic odds ratio = the ratio of the odds of the test being positive if the subject has the disease relative to the odds of positivity in the non-diseased.
↵b P<0.001. AUC = area under the curve. CRP = C-reactive protein. DOR = diagnostic odds ratio. ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate. NPV = negative predictive value. PPV = positive predictive value.