C-reactive protein, ESR, and klebsiella in ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were measured on 469 occasions in 149 patients with ankylosing spondylitis who had also been investigated for faecal carriage of klebsiella/enterobacter species on the same occasions. Raised values of CRP and ESR correlated with each other (P<0.001) as well as with clinically assessed active disease episodes (P<0.001). Patients with positive cultures for klebsiella were found to have higher mean values for CRP and ESR than those with negative cultures (P<0.025). CRP appears to be a useful marker of disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis.