CRP test

Advantages of the CRP test:

• results within 2 working days
• results are discreetly communicated to your profile
• only one parameter can be measured

What´s measured

CRP levels in the blood

C-reactive protein (CRP) levels increase within a few hours after an infectious pathogen enters the body and reach their highest levels 24 to 48 hours after the onset of infection. .  A healthy adult usually has a CRP level of less than 3 mg/l, but can have higher levels, up to 10 mg/l. 
Basal CRP levels tend to be higher in women than in men, patients on hormone therapy, smokers and obese people, and they also rise with age. A CRP level higher than 10 mg/l may already indicate inflammation, but does not determine its cause or location (1).

In the blood, CRP increases in various infectious inflammations (acute, chronic), but also in non-infectious inflammation (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic vasculitis, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) and traumatic injury. The degree of elevation varies between pathological conditions.
In infections, there is a difference in the degree of increase in viral and bacterial infections. Viral infections are associated with only a slight rise in CRP values in the blood, usually not reaching more than 40-50 mg/l. In bacterial ones, CRP elevations are higher, usually in the hundreds of mg/l. This can help in the rapid differentiation of viral and bacterial infections.
Serum CRP values must always be considered in the context of the current clinical condition and other clinical information.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein synthesized in the liver in response to an increase in plasma concentrations of IL-6 in particular, but also of other pro-inflammatory cytokines. It is one of the acute phase reactants and is part of the immune defence system. It activates the complement system, triggering opsonisation (labelling) and phagocytosis (engulfment) of pathogens and infected cells. Although it is a non-specific marker, in inflammation it is a better indicator than erythrocyte sedimentation rate or leukocyte count. A relatively small inflammatory reaction (bacterial, viral, non-infectious) is sufficient to stimulate its secretion. 

CRP is primarily used to quantify the degree of the inflammatory process and to monitor it in severe infectious and autoimmune diseases. It may also be useful in monitoring the response to antibiotic therapy in bacterial infections, as well as for the treatment of non-infectious inflammatory diseases.
Serum CRP values must always be considered in the context of the current clinical condition and other clinical information.

If you need to consult the results of the parameters, we recommend that you contact your GP or internist.

Values of CRP test

High CRP values

Elevated values are observed several hours after the infectious pathogen has entered the body, with a maximum increase in concentration within 24 - 48 hours and may persist for a prolonged period of time. The CRP value and the dynamics of development depend on the type of infection.
In general, in viral infections, values rise only to a small extent, usually not exceeding 40-50 mg/l.  In bacterial infections, the values are higher.  
Elevated values are also present in various non-infectious inflammatory diseases (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, systemic vasculitis, etc.).

The rise in CRP concentration is low when the atherosclerotic process is active; therefore, a method accurate in the region of low concentrations, a method with higher sensitivity, must be used. In determining cardiovascular risk, the so-called hs- CRP, high-sensitivity CRP, is determined.