Abstract
Background: Point-of-care testing for C-reactive protein (CRP) may be helpful in differentiating viral from bacterial infection. Such a device should give results comparable to laboratory testing. The aim was to evaluate two point-of-care CRP tests (Nycocard and QuikRead) in febrile children in general practice, compared to a reference immunoturbidimetric assay.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out of febrile children aged 3months to 6years presented to a general practice out-of-hours service. Children were visited at home where blood was taken for tests, within 24h after presentation. The Nycocard test was performed at home, whereas the QuikRead and reference test were performed in the laboratory.
Results: A total of 76 children were enrolled. All three CRP tests were performed in 59 children. The mean difference between the reference test and Nycocard and QuikRead was 0.6 and −6.1mg/L, respectively. The slope of the Passing-Bablok regression was 0.95 (95% CI 0.9–1.0) and 0.83 (95% CI 0.81–0.85) for the Nycocard and QuikRead tests, respectively.
Conclusions: Up to a concentration of 160mg/L, the Nycocard test correlated well with the reference test, while the QuikRead test underestimated concentrations above 60mg/L. The Nycocard test seems a good candidate for CRP point-of-care testing in general practice.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2006;44:1428–32.
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