Diagnostic Values of Complete Blood Count Parameters and C-Reactive Protein in Neonatal Sepsis Workup

BACKGROUND: Neonatal sepsis is a major global health problem with high morbidity and mortality. Despite ongoing advances in maternal and neonatal care, due to antibiotic resistance, culture-negative cases, and non-specific symptoms, the accurate diagnosis of neonatal sepsis remains challenging. METHODS: In this diagnostic test accuracy study conducted from April 2020 to September 2022, we investigated the diagnostic values of complete blood count parameters and C-reactive protein for neonatal sepsis among 277 newborns admitted to 17 Shahrivar hospital. Some characteristics (including gender and age of neonates, age of mothers, gestational age, neonatal weight, birth weight, Apgar score and the mode of delivery) were considered for the study as possible risk factors of neonatal sepsis. Also, we reviewed related studies from different countries and compared their results with the current study for a more comprehensive conclusion. All analyses were performed using SPSS software and statistical significance was defined as P