What it means
CRP rises within hours of an infection, injury or flare of an inflammatory disease and falls as it settles, so repeated levels show whether treatment is working. It does not show where the inflammation is. A more sensitive version of the test is used to judge heart disease risk.
For the nurse
Compare the result with earlier values and report a rising level along with fever, pain or other signs of infection.
At a glance
| Normal range | Less than 1.0 mg/dL [less than 10 mg/L]; some labs use less than 0.5 mg/dL [5 mg/L] |
|---|---|
| Abbreviations | CRP |
| Spanish | proteína C reactiva |
| Also written | CRP |
Related terms
infectious disease
An illness caused by a germ such as a bacterium, virus, fungus or parasite.
inflammation
The body's protective response to injury or infection, with redness, heat, swelling, pain and sometimes loss of function.
erythrocyte sedimentation rate
A blood test that measures how fast red blood cells settle to the bottom of a tube, used as a general sign of inflammation.