C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test Understand the Test & Your Results (2024)

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What is a c-reactive protein (CRP) test?
A c-reactive protein test measures the level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in your blood. CRP is a protein made by your liver. It's sent into your bloodstream in response to inflammation. Inflammation is your body's way of protecting your tissues if you've been injured or have an infection. It can cause pain, redness, and swelling in the injured or affected area. Some autoimmune disorders and chronic diseases can also cause inflammation.
Normally, you have low levels of c-reactive protein in your blood. High levels may be sign of a serious infection or other disorder.
Other names: c-reactive protein, serum
See Also
What Is a C-Reactive Protein Test?C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test: MedlinePlus Medical Test C-reactive protein test - Mayo Clinic What Is a C-Reactive Protein Test Used For?
What is it used for?
A CRP test may be used to find or monitor conditions that cause inflammation. These include:
Bacterial infections , such as sepsis , a severe and sometimes life-threatening condition
A fungal infection
Inflammatory bowel disease, a disorder that causes swelling and bleeding in the intestines
An autoimmune disorder such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
An infection of the bone called osteomyelitis
Why do I need a CRP test?
You may need this test if you have symptoms of a serious bacterial infection. Symptoms include:
Fever
Chills
Rapid breathing
Rapid heart rate
Nausea and vomiting
If you've already been diagnosed with an infection or have a chronic disease, this test may be used to monitor your treatment. CRP levels rise and fall depending on how much inflammation you have. If your CRP levels go down, it's a sign that your treatment for inflammation is working.
See Also
C-Reactive Protein Test: Purpose, Procedure, and Results
What happens during a CRP test?
A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This process usually takes less than five minutes.
Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
You don't need any special preparations for a CRP test.
Are there any risks to the test?
There is very little risk to having a blood test. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.
What do the results mean?
If your results show a high level of CRP, it probably means you have some type of inflammation in your body. A CRP test doesn't explain the cause or location of the inflammation. So if your results are not normal, your health care provider may order more tests to figure out why you have inflammation.
A higher than normal CRP level does not necessarily mean you have a medical condition needing treatment. There are other factors that can raise your CRP levels. These include cigarette smoking , obesity , and lack of exercise .
If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.
Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results .
Is there anything else I need to know about a CRP test?
A CRP test is sometimes confused with a high-sensitivity-(hs) CRP test. Although they both measure CRP, they are used to diagnose different conditions. An hs-CRP test measures much lower levels of CRP. It is used to check for risk of heart disease .
References
Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2018. C-Reactive Protein (CRP); [updated 2018 Mar 3; cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/c-reactive-protein-crp
Lab Tests Online [Internet]. Washington D.C.: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001–2018. Glossary: Inflammation; [updated 2017 Jul 10; cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://labtestsonline.org/glossary/inflammation
Mayo Clinic [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1998–2018. C-reactive protein test; 2017 Nov 21 [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228
Mayo Clinic: Mayo Medical Laboratories [Internet]. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c1995–2018. Test ID: CRP: C-Reactive Protein, Serum: Clinical and Interpretive; [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.mayomedicallaboratories.com/test-catalog/Clinical+and+Interpretive/9731
National Cancer Institute [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms: inflammation; [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/inflammation
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Blood Tests; [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/blood-tests
Nemours Children's Health System [Internet]. Jacksonville (FL): The Nemours Foundation; c1995–2018. Blood Test: C-Reactive Protein (CRP); [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/test-crp.html?ref=search&WT.ac;=msh-p-dtop-en-search-clk
Quest Diagnostics [Internet]. Quest Diagnostics; c2000–2018. Test Center: C-Reactive Protein (CRP); [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.questdiagnostics.com/testcenter/TestDetail.action?ntc=4420
University of Rochester Medical Center [Internet]. Rochester (NY): University of Rochester Medical Center; c2018. Health Encyclopedia: C-Reactive Protein (Blood); [cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=167&contentid;=c_reactive_protein_serum
UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2018. C-Reactive Protein (CRP): Results; [updated 2017 Oct 5; cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 8 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/c-reactive-protein/tu6309.html#tu6316
UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2018. C-Reactive Protein (CRP): Test Overview; [updated 2017 Oct 5; cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/c-reactive-protein/tu6309.html
UW Health [Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority; c2018. C-Reactive Protein (CRP): Why It is Done; [updated 2017 Oct 5; cited 2018 Mar 3]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: https://www.uwhealth.org/health/topic/medicaltest/c-reactive-protein/tu6309.html#tu6311

FAQs

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test Understand the Test & Your Results? ›

CRP is a protein that your liver makes. Normally, you have low levels of c-reactive protein in your blood. Your liver releases more CRP into your bloodstream if you have inflammation in your body. High levels of CRP may mean you have a serious health condition that causes inflammation.

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What level of C-reactive protein is concerning? ›

C-reactive protein is measured in milligrams per liter (mg/L). Results equal to or greater than 8 mg/L or 10 mg/L are considered high. Range values vary depending on the lab doing the test. A high test result is a sign of inflammation.

How do you read a CRP test result? ›

Interpretation of CRP levels:

Less than 0.3 mg/dL: Normal (level seen in most healthy adults). 0.3 to 1.0 mg/dL: Normal or minor elevation (can be seen in obesity, pregnancy, depression, diabetes, common cold, gingivitis, periodontitis, sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, and genetic polymorphisms).

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What is an alarming level of CRP? ›

A CRP test result of more than 50 mg/dL is generally considered severe elevation. Results over 50 mg/L are associated with acute bacterial infections about 90% of the time.

Which infection causes high CRP? ›

Significantly elevated CRP levels tend to occur with severe infections, such as bacterial or fungal infections. Bacterial infection is responsible for about 90% of the cases involving CRP levels higher than 50 mg/l.

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What level of CRP indicates arthritis? ›

Normal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels

C-reactive protein level (in milligrams per liter of blood) in adults	What it means
10.0–100.0	moderately elevated, which signifies infection or an inflammatory condition such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Crohn's disease, or lupus

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Should I be concerned if my C-reactive protein is high? ›

High levels of CRP may mean you have a serious health condition that causes inflammation. Inflammation is your body's way of protecting your tissues and helping them heal from an injury, infection, or other disease. Inflammation can be acute (sudden) and temporary.

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Is CRP a tumor marker? ›

High CRP predicted prognosis in most reports (90%) in these two tumor groups. In addition CRP predicted prognosis in most reports in other solid tumors, so it may also be a clinically useful predictor in lung, pancreas, hepatocellular, and bladder cancers.

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How to lower C-reactive protein levels? ›

What's the Treatment for High C-Reactive Protein?

Eat a heart-healthy diet.
Get your high cholesterol down.
Keep your weight where it should be.
Exercise regularly.
If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, manage it.
If you smoke or use tobacco in another way, quit.
If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly.

Feb 19, 2024

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What is a high CRP score? ›

What do my CRP blood test results mean? A high CRP is more than 10mg/L. This shows that there is inflammation somewhere in your body. Other tests might be necessary to find out where or which specific illness or infection is causing the inflammation.

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What medications affect C-reactive protein? ›

Cyclooxygenase inhibitors (aspirin, rofecoxib, celecoxib), platelet aggregation inhibitors (clopidogrel, abciximab), lipid lowering agents (statins, ezetimibe, fenofibrate, niacin, diets), beta-adrenoreceptor antagonists and antioxidants (vitamin E), as well as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (ramipril, ...

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What level of CRP indicates sepsis? ›

Initial CRP levels did not differ among patients with sepsis or septic shock (median CRP level day 1 in sepsis: 150 (97–225) mg/l; septic shock: 127 (79–219) mg/l; p = 0.092). However, in the presence of septic shock, CRP was shown to increase until day 10 of ICU hospitalization (median 179 (66–225) mg/l).

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How much CRP is OK? ›

Typically, CRP levels are low or undetectable in healthy individuals. A normal range falls between 0 to 3 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of blood. Elevated levels may signal an underlying health concern. While there is no such thing as a “low” CRP level, the normal range is generally less than 0.9 mg/dL.

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What cancers have high CRP? ›

Elevated CRP levels have been found to be associated with several cancers, including breast, lung, gastric, and colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and renal carcinoma (Roxburgh and McMillan, 2010; Wu et al., 2011).

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What foods should you avoid if you have high CRP? ›

Limiting or avoiding inflammatory foods like refined carbohydrates, fried foods, red meat and processed meat can help reduce CRP. Instead, focus on eating more anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, nuts, fatty fish and whole grains.

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What autoimmune diseases have high CRP? ›

The C-reactive protein (CRP) test is used to find inflammation in your body. Inflammation could be caused by different types of conditions, such as an infection or autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease. This test measures the amount of CRP in your blood.

What level of C reactive protein indicates autoimmune disease? ›

You could also have a high level because you're in the second half of your pregnancy or you're using birth control pills. If your CRP level is between 1 and 10 mg/dL, you could have: Bodily inflammation from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

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What is a high CRP C reactive protein level? ›

A high CRP is more than 10mg/L. This shows that there is inflammation somewhere in your body. Other tests might be necessary to find out where or which specific illness or infection is causing the inflammation. If you are being treated for an infection or inflammation, your CRP levels should decrease.

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What level of CRP indicates Crohn's disease? ›

Conclusion: CRP elevation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease is associated with active disease determined endoscopically, histologically, or radiographically. In both CD and UC, a CRP > 2.0 mg/dL predicts findings of active ileal disease at ileocolonoscopy.

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