What do increased inflammatory parameters in children mean?
In medicine, as in other areas of life, children are by no means to be regarded as small adults. Many diseases express themselves and proceed differently with them. The situation is similar in laboratory diagnostics.
Even trivial infections can lead to a significant increase in inflammation parameters, especially CRP, in children. On the other hand, newborns and very young children in particular are at greater risk of infections in general and childhood diseases in particular. For this reason, an increase in the inflammation values in children should always be taken seriously and should result in more detailed diagnostics if the inflammation parameters are elevated over a longer period of time.
As with adults, altered inflammation values can be the consequence of a variety of diseases. These can include infectious diseases, both viral and bacterial, but also chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. In any case, it is advisable to observe the inflammation values at regular intervals, as well as to closely observe possible symptoms of the child, in order to be able to intervene if indications of a disease requiring treatment become apparent.
