• Ji Hyun Jeon, Ran Namgung, Min Soo Park, Koo In Park, and Chul Lee.
• Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea. ranng@yuhs.ac.
• Yonsei Med. J. 2014 Jan 1; 55 (1): 113-7.

PurposeTo evaluate the diagnostic performance of maternal inflammatory marker: C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting early onset neonatal sepsis (that occurring within 72 hours after birth).Materials And Methods126 low birth weight newborns (gestation 32±3.2 wk, birth weight 1887±623 g) and their mothers were included. Neonates were divided into sepsis group (n=51) including both proven (positive blood culture) and suspected (negative blood culture but with more than 3 abnormal clinical signs), and controls (n=75). Mothers were subgrouped into CRP positive ≥1.22 mg/dL (n=48) and CRP negative <1.22 mg/dL (n=78) group, determined by Receiver Operating Characteristic curves, and odds ratio was calculated for neonatal sepsis according to maternal condition.ResultsMaternal CRP was significantly higher in neonatal sepsis group than in control (3.55±2.69 vs. 0.48±0.31 mg/dL, p=0.0001). Maternal CRP (cutoff value >1.22 mg/dL) had sensitivity 71% and specificity 84% for predicting neonatal sepsis. Maternal CRP positive group had more neonatal sepsis than CRP negative group (71% vs. 29%, p<0.001). Odds ratio of neonatal sepsis in maternal CRP positive group versus CRP negative group was 10.68 (95% confidence interval: 4.313-26.428, p<0.001).ConclusionThe risk of early onset neonatal sepsis significantly increased in the case of positive maternal CRP (≥1.22 mg/dL). In newborn of CRP positive mother, the clinician may be alerted to earlier evaluation for possible neonatal infection prior to development of sepsis.

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