CRP...Marker for Inflammation | Arthritis Information

Just have to set the record straight for some less than knowledgeable posters on another site.

While the CRP test is not specific enough to diagnose a particular disease, it does serve as a general marker for infection and inflammation, thus alerting medical professionals that further testing and treatment may be necessary.

Because CRP increases in severe cases of inflammation, the test is ordered when acute inflammation is a risk (such as from an infection after surgery) or suspected based on patient symptoms. It is also ordered to help evaluate conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and is often repeated to determine whether treatment is effective. This is particularly useful for inflammation problems since CRP levels drop as inflammation subsides.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/crp/test.html

But it's important to know that Diabetes and heart disease can also elevate the test values.

Caution: there are two CRP tests. One is qualitative and the other is quantiative [high sensitivity].

Here are some of my notes:

~ Measures direct inflammation while ESR measure Indirect inflammation.

~ Production is influenced by IL-1 and IL-6.

~ Positive result could be: heart disease, inflammation, diabetes, and/or periodontal disease inflammation

~ NSAIDS or corticosteroids may reduce the results

~ HRT drugs may inflate the test results

Studies have shown that measuring CRP with a high sensitivity test can help identify risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This test is different from the regular CRP test, which detects elevated levels of CRP in people with infections and inflammatory diseases. The hs-CRP test measures CRP that is in the normal range for healthy people. It can be used to distinguish people with low normal levels from people with high normal levels. High normal levels of hs-CRP in otherwise healthy individuals have been found to be predictive of the future risk of heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death, and peripheral arterial disease, even when lipid levels are within acceptable ranges. Several groups have recommended that this test be used in people with moderate risk of heart attack over the next 10 years; however, there is not a consensus over how the test should be used otherwise, nor on how frequently the test should be repeated.