Reference range: 0-8 mg/L

clinical significance

CRP is an acute-phase protein whose serum or plasma levels are increased during routine, nonspecific responses to infectious and non-infectious inflammatory effects such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease. CRP is synthesized in the liver and is generally found as a trace element in serum or plasma.

In a variety of disease states that cause tissue damage, infection, or inflammation, CRP levels can rise beyond normal values, reaching 20 to 500 mg/L within 4 to 8 hours after an acute event. Because elevated CRP values are always associated with pathological changes, CRP testing provides valuable information for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of inflammation and related diseases. Elevated CRP values are nonspecific and should not be interpreted without a complete medical history.

Studies have shown that highly sensitive CRP measurement is a strong independent predictor of future risk of cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease. High-sensitivity CRP measurement has been shown to add predictive value to other markers used to assess cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease risk. Elevated CRP values measured with a high-sensitivity CRP test may indicate an individual's increased likelihood of developing acute coronary syndrome and may aid in the management of these patients.

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