CRP and susceptibility to pneumonia measurement: Previous studies have reported that CRP levels increased in cardiovascular and vascular diseases, in infectious diseases such as cholecystitis, pancreatitis, appendicitis, meningitis, pneumonia, and in trauma and inflammation.24,25 We also detected a statistically significant increase in CRP and WBC levels as an immune response due to posterelateral thoracotomy, independent of an infectious pathology.