Crp test positive treatment. Decoding the C-Reactive Protein Test: Purpose, Procedure, and Meaningful Results

09.04.202126.07.2023 by alexxlab

What is the purpose of the C-Reactive Protein test? How is it performed? And what do the results mean. Explore the insights behind this important health indicator.

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Understanding the Purpose of the C-Reactive Protein Test

The C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test is a common laboratory examination that helps healthcare professionals identify the presence of inflammation in the body. This test measures the levels of CRP, a protein produced by the liver in response to various inflammatory conditions, including infections, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular disease.

Your doctor may order a CRP test if they suspect you have an inflammatory disorder, such as arthritis, or to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for a known inflammatory condition. The CRP test can provide valuable insight into the overall state of your health and help guide appropriate medical interventions.

The Procedure: How the CRP Test is Conducted

The CRP test is a straightforward blood test that requires no special preparation. The healthcare professional will draw a small sample of blood, typically from a vein in your arm, and send it to a laboratory for analysis. The process is quick and minimally invasive, with only a slight pinch when the needle is inserted and the potential for minor bruising at the puncture site.

It’s important to note that a high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) test is a slightly different variation that is used to assess the risk of heart disease and stroke, as it can detect lower, yet still elevated, levels of CRP. Your doctor may order the hs-CRP test if they are specifically focused on evaluating your cardiovascular health.

Interpreting the CRP Test Results

The CRP test results are typically reported in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Generally, a higher CRP level indicates a greater degree of inflammation in the body.

A CRP level of less than 1 mg/L is considered normal, while a level between 1 and 3 mg/L may indicate a low-grade inflammatory state. Levels above 3 mg/L are typically associated with a more significant inflammatory response, which could be caused by a variety of conditions, including:

Infections (bacterial, viral, or fungal)
Autoimmune disorders (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, lupus)
Chronic inflammatory conditions (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease)
Certain cancers
Cardiovascular disease

CRP and Heart Disease: A Closer Look

Elevated CRP levels have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as they can indicate the presence of inflammation in the arteries. The American Heart Association’s expert opinion in 2019 stated that individuals with CRP levels greater than or equal to 2 mg/L may require more intensive measures to prevent cardiovascular disease.

CRP levels may be particularly useful in identifying individuals at risk of heart disease when traditional risk factors, such as cholesterol levels, are not clearly indicative of their cardiovascular health status. By providing insight into the inflammatory state of the body, the CRP test can help healthcare providers develop more comprehensive strategies for managing and preventing heart disease.

Factors That Can Influence CRP Levels

It’s important to note that CRP levels can be influenced by a variety of factors, including:

Acute infections or inflammatory conditions
Chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g., arthritis, lupus)
Certain medications (e.g., corticosteroids, NSAIDs)
Lifestyle factors (e.g., obesity, smoking, physical activity)
Stress and psychological factors

Your healthcare provider will consider these factors when interpreting your CRP test results and determining the appropriate next steps in your care.

The Role of CRP Testing in Clinical Practice

The CRP test is a versatile tool that can provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals. In addition to its use in identifying and monitoring inflammatory conditions, the CRP test can also be used to:

Assess the risk of cardiovascular disease and guide prevention strategies
Monitor the effectiveness of treatment for various inflammatory disorders
Differentiate between bacterial and viral infections
Detect the presence of inflammation in the body, even in the absence of symptoms

By understanding the purpose, procedure, and interpretation of the CRP test, healthcare providers can make more informed decisions about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of a wide range of health conditions.

C-Reactive Protein Test: Purpose, Procedure, and Results

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CRP and heart disease

Expert opinion from the American Heart Association in 2019 states that when considering all risk factors, people with CRP levels greater than or equal to 2 milligrams per liter (mg/L) may need more intense measures to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Elevated levels of CRP may have an important role in identifying people who might need closer follow-up or more intensive treatment after heart attacks or heart procedures.

CRP levels may also be useful in identifying people at risk of heart disease when cholesterol levels alone may not be helpful.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the following as significant risk factors for developing heart disease:

diabetes
high blood pressure
high cholesterol
smoking
a diet low in nutrients and higher in fat and refined carbs
physical inactivity
heavy alcohol use
overweight and obesity

A family history of heart disease can also put you at a higher risk of heart disease.

No special preparation is necessary for this test. You may eat normally on the day of, and the test can happen at any time of day.

This test is done via a blood sample, so there will be a small needle involved.

A nurse or other healthcare professional will draw blood from a vein, usually on the inside of your elbow or the back of your hand.

First, they clean the skin over the vein with antiseptic. Next, they wrap an elastic band around your arm, causing your veins to bulge out slightly. The healthcare professional then inserts a small needle into the vein and collects your blood in a sterile vial.

After the healthcare professional collects your blood sample, they remove the elastic band around your arm and ask you to apply pressure to the puncture site with gauze. They may use tape or a bandage to hold the gauze in place.

Are there risks with the test?

There are no risks associated with this test other than routine issues that can occur with any blood test. The main issues include:

a slight pinch when the needle is inserted
slight bruising at needle insertion site

If you’re nervous around needles or blood, talk with the healthcare professional administering the test about ways to make it more comfortable for you.

In general, the results of your test will be measured in either mg/dL or mg/L.

Your doctor will most likely explain the results of your test to you, but in general:

A typical result: Less than 10 mg/L
A high result: Equal to or greater than 10 mg/L

According to a 2003 study by the American Heart Association, people with a higher level of CRP were two to three times more likely to have a heart attack than people with lower levels of CRP.

A small study from 2013 evaluated 100 people with cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers found that a CRP level over 10 mg/L was connected to a 4 percent risk of developing a fatal cardiovascular disease in 10 years.

If your doctor believes you may be at risk of heart disease or stroke, they may order a hs-CRP blood test alongside other tests.

Additionally, there’s more recent research that suggests CRP may be used as a predictor of health outcomes related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

If your doctor is concerned you are dealing with the symptoms of other inflammatory conditions besides cardiovascular issues, they may order a regular CRP test to diagnose, among other things:

inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
rheumatoid arthritis
lupus

Lowering your CRP isn’t a guaranteed way to lower your risk of cardiovascular or autoimmune disease.

It’s important to know that high CRP is what doctors call a biomarker. A biomarker is a factor to keep in mind when analyzing a person’s health, but not a stand-alone indicator of a particular diagnosis.

A 2015 study indicates that eating a nutritious, balanced diet — including lots of fruits, vegetables, and fiber — may help lower your CRP concentration.

If you’re at high risk of cardiovascular disease and your test results show high CRP, your doctor may suggest a statin or other cholesterol-lowering medication.

Vitamin C has also been explored as a way to lower CRP levels for people who have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.

A 2017 research review suggests that probiotics may also have a positive effect in lowering CRP.

However, more studies have to be done for each method before any definitive claims can be made.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a substance the liver produces in response to inflammation.

If your doctor suspects you may have a high level of inflammation, they may order a CRP blood test as one way to identify the underlying cause of that inflammation.

While a CRP blood test can’t say what exactly is causing your inflammation, your doctor may be able to use it to help them diagnose your issue.

Sometimes a high CRP measurement can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

If you’ve recently noticed changes in your body that aren’t going away and causing you discomfort, talk with your doctor about your symptoms. A CRP blood test may be one of the tests your doctor decides to order.

Vitamin C treatment reduces elevated C-reactive protein

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C-reactive protein (CRP, CRP), indications for the appointment, rules for preparing for the test, interpretation of the results and normal indicators.

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C-reactive protein (CRP, CRP): indications for the appointment, rules for preparing for the test, interpretation of the results and normal indicators.

Indications for study appointment

C-reactive protein (CRP) is the most highly sensitive indicator of tissue damage during inflammation, necrosis, and trauma. In the blood of a healthy person, CRP is absent or detected in minimal amounts. It is produced mainly by liver cells (hepatocytes), as a reaction to infection pathogens entering the human body, to trauma, as well as in systemic connective tissue diseases (rheumatic diseases).

CRP stimulates immune reactions in the body, activates its defense systems and has a high correlation with the activity of the disease and the stage of the process, that is, its concentration becomes higher, the more active the inflammation (infectious or autoimmune) and the more extensive the area of tissue damage during necrosis or trauma. Therefore, C-reactive protein is called the “acute phase” protein.

Another indicator of acute inflammation is the ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate).

ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, ESR)

ESR is a nonspecific marker of inflammation.

Synonyms: Erythrocyte sedimentation reaction; ROE.

Westergren sedimentation rate; Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate; ESR; Sed Rate; sedimentation rate.

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However, CRP is more informative, since its level begins to rise earlier and decrease faster (with proper treatment, CRP decreases on days 6-10, while ESR only on days 14-28). In addition, the results of ESR are influenced by the gender of the patient (for women, the ESR is higher than for men), the time of day, the number of erythrocytes, and this does not affect the CRP values. Thus, for the assessment of the inflammatory process, the analysis for C-reactive protein seems to be more justified.

The level of CRP in viral diseases increases slightly, so its significant increase in combination with elevated body temperature most likely indicates the presence of a bacterial infection.

For a short time, C-reactive protein may increase after surgery due to tissue damage, but in the absence of bacterial inflammation in the postoperative period, it quickly decreases.

Whereas the addition of a bacterial infection, whether it is a local process or sepsis, is accompanied by an increase in CRP or the absence of its decrease.

There is a highly sensitive method for determining CRP – highly sensitive C-reactive protein (cardio). The study reveals an increase in CRP with a sluggish, low degree of inflammation of the inner surface of the vascular wall, which is fraught with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. The analysis is prescribed only in the absence of acute diseases and injuries (in which an increase in CRP is detected by the standard method). An increase in the values of highly sensitive C-reactive protein may indicate the risk of cardiovascular diseases: myocardial infarction, stroke.

Thus, an analysis for C-reactive protein in combination with the study of some indicators of a clinical blood test (leukocyte count, leukocyte count and ESR) is usually prescribed in case of an increase in body temperature in order to suggest viral or bacterial inflammation by the degree of their increase.

CRP is determined for pain in the joints, not associated with trauma, for the differential diagnosis of degenerative and inflammatory diseases – arthrosis and arthritis. In rheumatic diseases, CRP is examined to assess the activity of the process and monitor the effectiveness of treatment.

Preparing for the procedure

Donate blood preferably in the morning on an empty stomach, after an 8-14 hour break from eating. Do not drink juices, tea and coffee. Drinking water is allowed.

If necessary, CRP can be tested 4-6 hours after a light meal.

Physical activity should be avoided 2-3 days before the study.

Do not smoke for at least 30 minutes before blood sampling.

C-reactive protein (CRP, CRP)

C-reactive protein is an acute phase protein, a sensitive indicator of tissue damage during inflammation, necrosis, trauma.
Synonyms: Blood test for CRP; C-jet …

Up to 1 business day

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Deadline

The analysis is carried out within one business day.

What can affect the results

A number of factors can influence the results of a study:

Intense physical activity, which should be avoided 2-3 days before the test, as it can lead to damage to muscle tissue and, consequently, an increase in CRP. This is especially true for athletes and people who regularly visit gyms: any muscle injury leads to an increase in CRP levels.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) painkillers and antipyretics may reduce actual CRP levels by reducing inflammation. There is evidence that statins used to lower blood cholesterol levels have a similar effect.
The presence of implants and transplants in the body.
Consumption of alcohol and/or fatty foods on the eve of the study.

C-reactive protein (CRP)

For research, blood is taken from a vein.

You can take a blood test for C-reactive protein (CRP, CRP) at the nearest INVITRO medical office. The list of offices where biomaterial is accepted for laboratory testing is presented in the “Addresses” section.

The interpretation of the results of the study contains information for the attending physician and is not a diagnosis. The information in this section should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. An accurate diagnosis is made by the doctor, using both the results of this examination and the necessary information from other sources: history, results of other examinations, etc.

Normal

Units of measurement: mg/l

A CRP level of less than 5 mg/l is considered normal.

When assessing cardiovascular risk, the level of highly sensitive CRP less than 1.0 mg / l is regarded as low, 1-3 mg / l as average, more than 3 mg / l indicates an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases in the future.

Explanation of indicators

The level of C-reactive protein in the blood does not depend on the gender and age of the patient, and its increase may be associated with damage to any organs and systems of the body of various nature. A specific diagnosis is established by a comprehensive assessment of complaints, examination data, instrumental and laboratory examination methods.

What do low readings mean

Since C-reactive protein is either absent in the blood of a healthy person, or is detected in minimal amounts, it is incorrect to talk about its decrease.

What do high rates mean

The degree of increase in C-reactive protein usually correlates with the volume, nature and severity of tissue damage.

An increase in CRP up to 30 mg/l can indicate viral diseases – SARS, rotavirus infection, etc., is found in malignant tumors, rheumatic diseases without an exacerbation stage (systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis, systemic scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).

An increase in CRP to 100 mg/l and above, as a rule, accompanies various acute bacterial infections (tonsillitis, pneumonia, appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, pyelonephritis, etc.), exacerbations of chronic infectious diseases and rheumatic diseases, as well as various tissue damage ( surgery, myocardial infarction, etc. ).

The most significant increase in CRP – up to 300 mg / l or more is possible with extensive burns and sepsis, when bacteria from the lesion enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

Additional examination in case of deviation from the norm

An increase in body temperature in combination with an increase in the level of C-reactive protein can be accompanied by generalized (common) and any local lesions – infections of the skin and subcutaneous adipose tissue, respiratory and dental infections, infections of the eyes, ENT organs, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, urological infections, infections of the central nervous system, bones and joints.

Depending on the clinical picture, such patients are examined and treated by doctors of different specialties – general practitioners, surgeons, narrow specialists, including ENT specialists, dentists, gynecologists, urologists, rheumatologists.

As additional research in each case, you may need a wide range of instrumental and laboratory diagnostics.

An increase in the level of highly sensitive CRP entails the identification of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. For this, a blood test is performed for the lipid spectrum, fibrinogen, homocysteine, glucose, uric acid, as well as an ultrasound examination of the vessels of the neck and heart.

Sources

Ershov A.V. C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. Consilium Medicum, magazine. 2019, 21(3): 15-19 p.
Khorolets E.V., et al. Diagnostic significance of C-reactive protein in the genesis of pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Journal of Fundamental Medicine and Biology. No. 1. 2013. S. 23-27.

IMPORTANT!

The information in this section should not be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, only the attending physician should prescribe diagnostic tests. For diagnosis and proper treatment, you should contact your doctor.
For a correct assessment of the results of your analyzes in dynamics, it is preferable to do studies in the same laboratory, since different laboratories can use different research methods and units of measurement to perform the same analyzes.

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C-reactive protein – diagnosis of coronavirus infection – – Articles

Health care in all countries of the world today faces a huge challenge in diagnosing and stopping the epidemic of coronavirus infection COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

It was determined that in adult patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 coronavirus (up to 95%), the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) was significantly increased, both in severe and mild forms of the disease. Patient Studies with COVID-19showed that CRP levels are directly correlated with the disease: in seriously ill patients, a significant increase in CRP levels was observed. The quantitative determination of CRP can serve as a reliable diagnostic marker of the severity, progression and outcome of the disease. For example, in one of the studies that focused on the study of predictors (markers-predictors) of death in COVID-19, it was shown that in surviving patients, the average level of CRP was ~ 40 mg / l, while in those who died – an average of 125 mg / l.

The most important diagnostic advantage of C-reactive protein is that it is a very early marker of inflammation that occurs during infection with COVID-19: its concentration rises as early as 6-8 hours after infection. When the SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the body, an immune response is triggered to fight this pathogen, which leads to an increase in CRP levels. Other markers of inflammation, such as white blood cell count, have poor predictive ability to distinguish between bacterial and viral infections.

In accordance with the Methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a new coronavirus infection, if COVID-19 is suspected, the diagnosis is established on the basis of a set of diagnostic studies, in which CRP is the main laboratory marker of the activity of the pathological process in the lungs. An increase in CRP correlates with the volume of lung tissue damage and is the basis for starting anti-inflammatory therapy.

Complete blood chemistry (urea, creatinine, electrolytes, glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, albumin, lactate, troponin lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin) is an additional laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19. Deviations of biochemical markers from the norm have a certain prognostic value, may indicate the development of complications and help in the choice of drugs, as well as in their dosing regimen. For example, another feature of COVID-19 disease was a pronounced increase in the level of hepatic transaminases (ALT and AST), which may reflect viral damage to the liver. It has been shown that the increase in ALT and AST directly correlates with the severity of COVID-19.

We offer a complete list of tests for the biochemical analysis of COVID-19 markersin accordance with the Methodological recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), including kits for quantitative determination:

quantitative determination of C-reactive protein in serum and plasma

	HT-C1122-40	HT-C1122-100
Reagent 1	20 ml	50 ml
Reagent 2	20 ml	50 ml

Control (HT-C1122-CTL), calibrator (HT-C1122-STD) will be required to perform the test.

More in the catalog of biochemical reagents

ALT Enzymatic kinetic method

Kit for quantitative determination of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in blood serum.

	HT-A306-120	HT-A306-240	HT-A306-600
Reagent 1	100 ml	2×100 ml	500 ml
Reagent 2	20 ml	2×20 ml	100 ml

AST Enzymatic kinetic method

Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) assay kit

	HT-A309-120	HT-A309-240	HT-A309-600
Reagent 1	120 ml	2×120 ml	500 ml
Reagent 2	30 ml	2×30 ml	125 ml

For biochemical research semi-automatic and automatic biochemical analyzers different capacities:

Laboratory medical photometer model Biochem SA is a compact desktop semi-automatic biochemical analyzer.