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Chandna A, Osborn J, Bassat Q, Bell D, Burza S, D'Acremont V, Fernandez-Carballo BL, Kain KC, Mayxay M, Wiens M, Dittrich S. Anticipating the future: prognostic tools as a complementary strategy to improve care for patients with febrile illnesses in resource-limited settings. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2021-006057. [PMID: 34330761 PMCID: PMC8327814 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In low-income and middle-income countries, most patients with febrile illnesses present to peripheral levels of the health system where diagnostic capacity is very limited. In these contexts, accurate risk stratification can be particularly impactful, helping to guide allocation of scarce resources to ensure timely and tailored care. However, reporting of prognostic research is often imprecise and few prognostic tests or algorithms are translated into clinical practice. Here, we review the often-conflated concepts of prognosis and diagnosis, with a focus on patients with febrile illnesses. Drawing on a recent global stakeholder consultation, we apply these concepts to propose three use-cases for prognostic tools in the management of febrile illnesses in resource-limited settings: (1) guiding referrals from the community to higher-level care; (2) informing resource allocation for patients admitted to hospital and (3) identifying patients who may benefit from closer follow-up post-hospital discharge. We explore the practical implications for new technologies and reflect on the challenges and knowledge gaps that must be addressed before this approach could be incorporated into routine care settings. Our intention is that these use-cases, alongside other recent initiatives, will help to promote a harmonised yet contextualised approach for prognostic research in febrile illness. We argue that this is especially important given the heterogeneous settings in which care is often provided for patients with febrile illnesses living in low-income and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Chandna
- Cambodia Oxford Medical Research Unit, Angkor Hospital for Children, Siem Reap, Cambodia .,Centre for Tropical Medicine & Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jennifer Osborn
- Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Quique Bassat
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique.,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.,Pediatrics Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Dé, Universitat de Barcelona, Esplugues, Barcelona, Spain.,Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Bell
- Independent Consultant, Issaquah, Washington, USA
| | | | - Valérie D'Acremont
- Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Kevin C Kain
- Department of Medicine, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mayfong Mayxay
- Centre for Tropical Medicine & Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Microbiology Department, Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic.,Institute of Research and Education Development (IRED), University of Health Sciences, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
| | - Matthew Wiens
- Center for International Child Health, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.,Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Walimu, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Sabine Dittrich
- Centre for Tropical Medicine & Global Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, Geneva, Switzerland
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Otten T, de Mast Q, Koeneman B, Althaus T, Lubell Y, van der Ven A. Value of C-reactive protein in differentiating viral from bacterial aetiologies in patients with non-malaria acute undifferentiated fever in tropical areas: a meta-analysis and individual patient data study. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2021; 115:1130-1143. [PMID: 33644814 DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/traa186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
C-reactive protein (CRP) is used to discriminate common bacterial and viral infections, but its utility in tropical settings remains unknown. We performed a meta-analysis of studies performed in Asia and Africa. First, mean CRP levels for specific tropical infections were calculated. Thereafter, individual patient data (IPD) from patients with non-malarial undifferentiated fever (NMUF) who were tested for viral and bacterial pathogens were analysed, calculating separate cut-off values and their performance in classifying viral or bacterial disease. Mean CRP levels of 7307 patients from 13 countries were dengue 12.0 mg/l (standard error [SE] 2.7), chikungunya 41.0 mg/l (SE 19.5), influenza 15.9 mg/l (SE 6.3), Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever 9.7 mg/l (SE 4.7), Salmonella 61.9 mg/l (SE 5.4), Rickettsia 61.3 mg/l (SE 8.8), Coxiella burnetii 98.7 mg/l (SE 44.0) and Leptospira infections 113.8 mg/l (SE 23.1). IPD analysis of 1059 NMUF patients ≥5 y of age showed CRP <10 mg/l had 52% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] 48 to 56) and 95% specificity (95% CI 93 to 97) to detect viral infections. CRP >40 mg/l had 74% sensitivity (95% CI 70 to 77) and 84% specificity (95% CI 81 to 87) to identify bacterial infections. Compared with routine care, the relative risk for incorrect classification was 0.64 (95% CI 0.55 to 0.75) and the number needed to test for one extra correctly classified case was 8 (95% CI 6 to 12). A two cut-off value CRP test may help clinicians to discriminate viral and bacterial aetiologies of NMUF in tropical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Twan Otten
- Department of International Health and Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Quirijn de Mast
- Department of International Health and Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bouke Koeneman
- Department of International Health and Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Althaus
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Yoel Lubell
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - André van der Ven
- Department of International Health and Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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van Griensven J, Cnops L, De Weggheleire A, Declercq S, Bottieau E. Point-of-Care Biomarkers to Guide Antibiotic Prescription for Acute Febrile Illness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Promises and Caveats. Open Forum Infect Dis 2020; 7:ofaa260. [PMID: 32818139 PMCID: PMC7423291 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Empiric malaria treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa has significantly decreased with the scaling-up of malaria rapid diagnostic tests; this coincided with a pronounced increase in empiric antibiotic prescriptions. In high-income countries, guidance for antibiotic prescriptions using biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) has reduced antibiotic use while safe-guarding patient safety. Importantly, several low-cost point-of-care CRP/PCT tests are currently available. However, only a few studies on the role of CRP/PCT in differentiating bacterial vs viral infections in acute febrile illness have been conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies from Central and West Africa (most of which is malaria-endemic) are particularly scarce, and only 1 has included adults. The evidence base for point-of-care use of CRP/PCT biomarkers in acute fever in Sub-Saharan Africa should be urgently built. Before engaging in clinical trials to assess clinical impact, pilot studies should be conducted to address key knowledge gaps including recommended CRP/PCT cutoff values and the effect of malaria coinfection.
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