[Does the estimation of acute phase protein concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid and/or in serum in patients with viral meningitis carry diagnostic importance? Part I. Lymphocytic meningitis caused by epidemic parotitis].

OBJECTIVE

We examined whether an acute phase reaction could occur in children with lymphocytic meningitis of homogeneous etiology (parotitis epidemic from the Paramyxoviridae family), a sign of which would be an increase in concentrations of acute phase proteins (APP's) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or in blood serum. We also tested the usefulness of the determination of selected APP's concentrations in CSF and serum in diagnosis and monitoring of the course of the disease, provided that an increase in concentrations of selected APP's were discernible.

METHODS

Cases were 78 children with lymphocytic meningitis as a complication of parotitis epidemic. Controls were 30 healthy children (control group K1) and 19 children hospitalized with suspected meningitis (control group K2). The following APP's presence in CSF and serum were tested: C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha-2-haptoglobin (HPT), alpha-1-antitripsin (AAT) and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AAG), alpha-2-ceruloplasmin (CER) and alpha-2-macroglobulin (AMG). The results were compared and analyzed.

RESULTS

The results of the research show a significant increase in all APP's determined, except for CRP and AAG, in children with parotidal meningitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Determination of CRP concentration either in CSF or in serum is not useful in diagnosis of parotidal meningitis and in differentiation of lymphocytic and bacterial forms of the disease.