CRP

CRP blood test

The CRP (C-reactive protein) test is performed during the process of diagnostic process of infection. Your doctor may order it if he or she suspects parasitic, fungal, bacterial or viral. The amount of protein concentration is related to the background of the infection and its intensity.

Significant increases in CRP concentration are observed in cases:

• inflammation (such as meningitis),
• bacterial or viral infection,
• urinary tract infections,
• burns,
• injury,
• in cancer,
• myocardial infarction,
• some autoimmune diseases,

CRP, or acute phase protein, is a plasma protein whose production increases in cases of inflammation and infection It is produced by the liver. As a result of infection, the concentration of CRP in the blood can increase up to 1000-fold in a day.

CRP concentration testing also helps determine the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system, as long as we perform the test outside the period of illness, in which the concentration of CRP increases. The result of the test in such a case will determine the degree of risk of cardiovascular disease.

High CRP can also occur in patients with cancerous tumors malignancies, especially cancers of the hematopoietic system.

Please be sure to take the test

Before testing, it is important to remember that some medications alter the CRP concentrations. Such drugs are, for example, statins used to treat excessively high cholesterol levels, which lower CRP concentrations.

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