Comparison of C-reactive protein and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels in patients on hemodialysis.

Chronic inflammation is highly prevalent in patients on hemodialysis (HD), as evidenced by increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). We compared CRP to high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) to determine whether it has any clinical implications and prognostic significance in terms of mortality. CRP was measured using a standard immunoturbidometric assay on the COBAS® INTEGRA system and hs-CRP was measured using the Dade Behring on the Konelab Nephelometer in 50 patients on HD.