The C-Reactive Protein Test

This is a blood test that measures the level of CRP in the blood.

CRP is an inflammatory marker — a substance that the body releases in response to inflammation.

High levels of CRP in the blood mean that there is inflammation somewhere in the body. Other tests are needed to determine the cause and location of the inflammation.

CRP is the only inflammatory marker that has been found to be an indicator of heart health.
Therefore, a CRP test is often done along with a blood fat profile to help predict a patient’s risk of a heart attack. In the years to come, C-reactive protein may also prove to be a potential marker for predicting coronary artery disease and stroke, which are closely associated with inflammation of the blood vessels. CRP is not normally present in the blood of a healthy patient. However, there are some conditions that can cause small amounts of CRP to be found in the blood. These conditions include diabetes, glucose intolerance and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Patients who are scheduled for a CRP test will be asked not to eat or drink anything for 12 hours before the test.

What is a C-reactive protein (CRP) test?
The C-reactive protein (CRP) test is a blood test that measures the level of CRP in the blood.

CRP is a substance produced by the liver that increases whenever there is inflammation somewhere in the body. If CRP levels are high, then a part of the body is inflamed. This information can be important in diagnosing infections and inflammatory conditions or evaluating the effectiveness of certain treatments.

A CRP test is generally used as a diagnostic tool, especially in cases of suspected heart disease. Recent studies have found that CRP tests were almost twice as good as cholesterol screening (a blood fat profile) in predicting a person’s risk of a heart attack.

Many conditions may cause significant inflammation, which will result in very high CRP levels

These conditions include the following:
Heart attack.
Unstable angina.
Rheumatic fever.
Systematic lupus erythematosus.
Tuberculosis.
Pneumococcal pneumonia.
Cancer.
Postoperative infection. CRP tests are sometimes performed following surgery because high levels may indicate the presence of infection. While an erythrocyte sedimentation rate test is also used for this purpose, CRP levels may be better tools for early detection because they will show an elevation more quickly.
Trauma (e.g., injuries or burns).
Heatstroke.

Not only can the CRP test be used to diagnose various diseases, but it can also be used to assess a patient’s risk of having a heart attack.