An overview of the C-Reactive Protein Test

C-reactive protein occurs in your body when your liver generates a reaction during signs of swelling, breakout, or infection.
The presence of C-reactive protein in your body in a significant level might indicate infections. This may result from cancer or a virus in your body.
It also indicates acute inflammation in your heart region, suggesting cardiac arrest. In short, C-reactive proteins are useful in detecting provocative situations in different circumstances.

What is a C-reactive protein test?

A C-reactive protein test is done to measure C-reactive protein (CRP) level, a protein made by your liver, in your blood sample. CRP levels typically remain low in your blood. However, in case of any inflammation in the body the liver releases more CRP in the bloodstream. Therefore, high CRP levels indicate some health complication which produces inflammation.

Inflammation is a mechanism that your body performs to protect the tissues and help them heal from any kind of injury, infection, or disease. While acute and temporary inflammation helps your body heal, a prolonged inflammation may damage your healthy tissues. Such chronic inflammation often leads to severe infections and autoimmune disorders. A CRP test measures the degree of inflammation in your body and also helps find out the reason of the inflammation.

What is C-reactive protein test used for?

A CRP test is used to monitor both acute as well as chronic inflammations, such as:

• Viral or bacterial infections
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Intestinal disorders like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
• Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and vasculitis
• Lung diseases like asthma

Why do you need a CRP test?

You will require a CRP test if you face symptoms like:

• Increased heart rate
• Chills and fever
• Vomiting and nausea
• Rapid breathing

Moreover, if you are already diagnosed with an infection, the healthcare provider recommends a CRP test to monitor you condition.Remember that decline in the CRP level indicate healing.

A CRP test is necessary when your body is suspected to carry a provocative disease, such as infections, cancer etc. Although area of acute inflammation can be located with this test, the specific region of the disease or its underlying cause cannot be found with this process. For individuals with past records of provocative issues, CRP test is done to check if it was treated effectively.

A super sensitive CRP test is useful in indicating diseases like cardiac arrests or strokes. A minimal degree of protein present in your body can also point out the presence of such diseases. A typical CRP is much different from a super sensitive CRP, as the latter one reveals different causative disorders. If your test results suggest you have a heart condition, the doctor might recommend a hypersensitive C-reactive protein test.

C-reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease

As estimated by heart specialists, people having C-reactive protein levels equal to or more than 2 mg per litre require drastic actions to prevent heart disease. Greater degrees of C-reactive protein help signalling people who need proper observation and thorough medication after a surgery or cardiac arrest.

The following signs indicate a major threat of heart disease:

• Hypertension
• Sugar disease
• Smoking cigarettes
• Hypercholesterolemia
• Inertness
• Ketogenic diet
• Corpulence
• Dipsomania
• Inherited cardiac disease

Here are what the CRP test results say about cardiovascular diseases:

• hs-CRP level below 1.0 mg/L suggests low risk of cardiovascular disease
• hs-CRP level between 1.0 mg/L and 3.0 mg/L indicates moderate risk of cardiovascular disease
• hs-CRP level above 3.0 mg/L means high risk of cardiovascular disease

As your CRP level varies, you must take the CRP test two times, which is at a gap of 2 weeks, to find out risks of heart disease. This is because a high reading in the initial test may not necessarily mean a heart disease.

How to prepare for your CRP test?

No such specific preparatory measure is there to follow before your CRP test, but it is recommend to not fast and have meals as usual as this test is done at any hour of the day. This test includes using a syringe to draw blood sample from your body.

What to expect during CRP test?

A medical professional will draw the blood from your vein. This blood sample is usually collected from your hand, particularly the elbow region.

For this the healthcare provider first clears your vein area with an antiseptic. Next the provider fastens a band around your arm to inject the vein from which blood is drawn.

Finally, the nurse takes off the band from your arm and applies a cotton plug on the injected site to regulate normal blood flow.

Risks of Getting a CRP Test

It has been medically proved that CRP test does not include any underlying risk, apart from the typical issues occurring with a normal blood test. You will notice the fundamental issues like:

• A subtle pinching sensation during the injection with the syringe
• A minor bruise at the site of injection of the needle

If you are uncomfortable with injections, consult your doctor to make the process easier.

Results of a C-reactive Protein Test

You will need to show the test results to your doctor to get the right interpretation. However, CRP test result is measured in milligrams per decilitre or litre (mg/dL or mg/L). The result always looks like the following:

• Normal result: Below 10 mg/L
• Hypersensitive result: Equals to or higher than 10 mg/L.

Normal Range for a CRP Test

Different labs consider different range as normal reference while detecting C-reactive protein levels. Generally, the normal CRP levels should be below 0.9 mg/dL. A number of factors influence your CRP levels, such as:

• Smoking cigarettes
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Recent injury
• Periodontitis
• Gingivitis
• Diabetes
• Common cold
• However, females and elderly individuals are known to have naturally higher CRP levels.

What does a high CRP level suggest?

A high CRP level might suggest various health conditions. It primarily means you have inflammation, and the healthcare provider recommends some additional tests to find out the cause of your inflammation.

Moderate elevation

A result showing CRP level between 1.0 and 10.0 mg/dL indicates a moderately high CRP in your blood. It suggests you might have conditions like:

• Myocardial infarction or heart attack
• Bronchitis
• Pancreatitis
• Systemic inflammation occurring from rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases, or systemic lupus erythematosus

Marked elevation

If the result shows your CRP level to be above 10 mg/dL, this marked elevation might suggest the following conditions:

• Systemic vasculitis
• Acute bacterial infections
• Major injury or trauma
• Viral infections

Severe elevation

On the other hand, a CRP test results over 50 mg/dL means severe increase in your CRP level. This indicates complex bacterial infections in most cases.

What does getting a C-reactive protein test suggest?

People having a high C-reactive protein level are more prone to get a cardiac arrest than those with low CRP levels. Different studies show that individuals persistently having CRP degrees of 10 mg/L or more are more likely to having deadly heart diseases.
If your doctor suspects you are at a risk of cardiac problems, he/she recommends a C-reactive protein blood test along with other tests. Moreover, recent studies show how CRP test is crucial to diagnosing different lung conditions.
Doctors might also recommend a CRP test if you exhibit provocative diseases besides heart problems, like:

• Rheumatism
• Enteritis
• Systemic lupus erythematosus

What to do in case of high C-reactive protein?

Reduction in your C-reactive protein levels does not eliminate the risks of heart diseases or immunological disorders. CRP is an indicator of the presence or severity of some diseases, but they are not specific detectors. However, having a nutritional diet rich in fruits can help reduce your CRP level.
Once your doctor detects that you are in major risk of heart disease, they prescribe you medication to reduce the cholesterol level. Consumption of vitamin C also reduces CRP level in people with heart conditions. Moreover, several research studies show how bacteria present in our body influence the reduction of C-reactive protein.

Conclusion

C-reactive protein originates in the body from a reaction of the liver which indicates an infection, swelling, or breakout. You will require a CRP test when you suffer from an increased degree of infection. This test is done to find out the primary cause responsible for the infection.
If you do not get to know the cause of your infection from the CRP test, the doctor uses this diagnosis to find out the original problem. For instance, a high CRP percentage indicates the risks of cardiac disease.
Once you observe persistent discomfort in your body, consult your doctor immediately. The doctor may recommend a C-reactive protein test.
At Private Blood Tests, we are reputed for offering the best quality healthcare and medical services to our clients. Our expert team is always ready to provide you C-reactive protein test in London. You can call us on 02034759389 or contact us via email to book your appointment.