crp levels in viral hepatitis: a meta-analysis study

Context: viral hepatitis is a common infectious disorder with a high degree of mortality. the host immunological feedback to the hepatitis virus is dim and unable to down-regulate and clear infection. c-reactive protein (crp), an acute phase reactant synthesized by hepatocytes in response toinflammatory reactions, facilitates apoptosisandphagocytosis. aneffort has beenmadein the current meta-analysis study to elucidate the relationship between crp and hepatitis b virus (hbv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv) infections. methods: eighteen published research articles on crp levels of viral hepatitis patients were included in this study. a random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled mean level for crp. results: the pooled mean level of crp hepatitis b and hepatitis c was 6.93 mg/l (95% ci: 3.04 - 10.81) and 2.31 mg/l (95% ci: 1.06 - 3.55), respectively. a high degree of variance was observed among the studies, with the i2 more than 90%. conclusions: thepooledmeanlevel of crpwaswithin thenormalrange in patients with hepatitis c;however, itwashigh in patients with hepatitis b. the pooled mean crp level reported in this study can be useful to determine the level of liver damage in patients with viral hepatitis.