Failure to Find C-Reactive Protein in Viral Hepatitis.

Abstract

Although C-reactive protein was found in the blood of patients with a wide variety of diseases, it has been infrequently described in viral diseases. In the course of study of a large number of patients with viral hepatitis, specimens of serum from 90 patients were examined for C-reactive protein and none was found. These results were slightly different from those of Hedlund who found C-reactive protein and none was found. These results were slightly different from those of Hedlu who found C-protein in the serums of 3 out of 26 patients with this disease. It is not known why C-protein should be found so uncommonly in the blood of patients with viral hepatitis in contrast to its frequent appearance in the blood of patients with bacterial disease such as lobar pneumonia. The question is raised as to whether this may be an expression of a fundamental difference in the pathogenesis of certain viral infections.