- Biomedical Research (2011) Volume 22, Issue 1
Saliva C- reactive protein levels in patients with acute urticaria
C –reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase reactant and a non-specific indicator of inflam-mation, has been identified as a saliva-based inflammatory biomarker. The objective of the study was to estimate salivary CRP levels in patients with acute urticaria. The study in-cluded 25 patients diagnosed with acute urticaria and 20 healthy age, sex- matched controls. CRP levels in saliva were estimated using an Enzyme- Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay me-thod with enhanced sensitivity. Saliva CRP levels were significantly elevated in patients with acute urticaria compared to healthy controls (p < 0.0005). The rise in salivary CRP level observed in acute urticaria conceivably reflects the presence of an underlying acute phase inflammatory process. Saliva CRP levels appear to have the potential to serve as non-invasive markers of systemic inflammatory status in patients with acute urticaria.
Author(s): Nivedita L. Rao, Sukanya Shetty, Jyothi D?Souza, Prasad R. M, Vishal B, Shariff M. H, Raghavendra U