Table 3.
Relationships Between C-Reactive Protein Levels and Pain
| Total (n = 1513) | CRP <1 (n = 234) | 1 ≤ CRP <5 (n = 513) | 5 ≤ CRP <10 (n = 352) | 10 ≤ CRP (n = 414) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain NRS, median (IQR) | 2.0 (0.0–4.0) | 1.0 (0.0–3.0) | 1.0 (0.0–3.0) | 2.0 (0.0–4.0) | 2.0 (0.0–4.0) | <0.001 |
| Spearman's correlation coefficient | 0.15 | <0.001 | ||||
| Pain NRS, 4–10, n (%) | 320 (27.9) | 39 (20.1) | 88 (23.8) | 78 (29.2) | 115 (36.2) | <0.001 |
| Pain IPOS, median (IQR) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (0.0–2.0) | 1.0 (1.0–2.0) | <0.001 |
| Spearman's correlation coefficient | 0.16 | <0.001 | ||||
| Pain IPOS, 2–4, n (%) | 565 (37.4) | 62 (26.5) | 175 (34.1) | 139 (39.5) | 189 (45.8) | <0.001 |
| Neuropathic pain, yes, n (%) | 211 (14.0) | 31 (13.4) | 63 (12.3) | 51 (14.5) | 66 (15.9) | 0.45 |
| Breakthrough pain, yes, n (%) | 601 (39.8) | 82 (35.3) | 191 (37.4) | 145 (41.2) | 183 (44.2) | 0.08 |
Comparisons among groups were performed using the Kruskal–Wallis test or chi-squared test where appropriate.
IPOS, integrated palliative care outcome scale; NRS, numerical rating scale.