What should my crp level be

Your CRP levels should be within the normal range if you do not have any infections or chronic inflammatory conditions such as RA. Normal CRP levels are typically below 3. Keep in mind that the normal reference range often varies between labs. No single test can confirm that you have RA. However, measuring levels of CRP in your blood can be part of a comprehensive diagnosis. A doctor can use your CRP levels to track the degree of inflammation over time. All you need to do for the CRP test is give a blood sample.

Your doctor will tell you the results, or you may be able to check them online. However, reactions such as minor bruising or soreness are possible with any blood draw. Your CRP levels are useful in indicating how well your treatments are working. For instance, if you try a new medication , your doctor may test your CRP levels a few weeks after you start it.

If your levels have dropped, the medication is probably helping. You may need to adjust your medications or try a new treatment. Measuring CRP levels is not a perfect method for diagnosing RA or determining the effectiveness of a treatment. Elevated levels of CRP can indicate any type of infection or inflammatory condition. A wide variety of inflammatory conditions can cause elevated C-reactive protein CRP levels, including the following:. The most common cause is a severe infection, but a poorly controlled autoimmune disease or severe tissue damage can also lead to high CRP levels.

There is no need to fast or avoid liquids before having a CRP test. However, people having a high-sensitivity CRP hs-CRP test are likely to undergo other blood tests at the same time, and these may require fasting for 9—12 hours beforehand.

Obtaining the sample for the test will only take a few minutes and should be relatively painless aside from a small needle prick. The symptoms of elevated CRP levels depend entirely on the underlying condition that is causing them.

Many people who have moderate infections or injuries, or conditions that cause chronic inflammation, may experience similar symptoms. These include:. However, as a general rule, the following classifications apply to CRP:. A huge range of conditions can raise CRP levels slightly, and, as there is no standard reference range set for CRP, there is usually no way to draw any conclusions by looking at CRP levels alone.

This will allow them to consider a range of medical factors. A doctor will also often want to repeat the test to see how CRP levels change over time before they make a diagnosis. Usually, moderately elevated CRP levels are due to RA or infectious arthritis , which occurs when a joint is infected.

In people with high blood pressure, CRP levels are correlated with stiffness of arteries and atherosclerosis, as well as damage to organs such as the heart and kidney. In people with normal baseline blood pressure, CRP levels have repeatedly been shown to predict the later development of hypertension.

And people with heart rhythm disturbances, such as atrial fibrillation, have significantly higher CRP levels than do normal controls. CRP levels are such strong indicators of cardiovascular risk that circulating levels of CRP are now being used to predict the likelihood of cardiovascular events and to assist in choosing therapy. In addition to being a marker of risk, there is growing evidence that CRP contributes directly to cardiovascular and diabetes risk.

Lowered CRP more than control in patients with toxin-induced skinirritation Lowered CRP by a huge 6. Reduced CRP by 1. Higher serum magnesium correlated with lower CRP in overweight middle-aged women Low omega-3 in blood correlated with higher CRP in patients with peripheral artery disease Higher vitamin D levels correlated with lower CRP in humans with rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition Reduced serum CRP in pregnant women by 1.

Lowered hs-CRP from more than 10 to 7. Interestingly, CRP is now associated with a number of cancers as a powerful tool for determining prognosis and survival.

Those with elevated levels of CRP were more likely to have lymph node local and distant metastases, invasion of blood vessels and nerves, and a higher stage diagnosis.

This newer test uses the same scale as previous standard CRP measurements, but because of its higher sensitivity, it is better at discriminating even very small increases in CRP measurements at the lowest levels.

For starters, your lifestyle has a direct impact on CRP levels. Certain dietary habits, such as a high intake of trans-fatty acids, can increase CRP levels, leading to a reason why trans fats increase cardiovascular risk to a greater degree than one would expect based on its adverse effects on blood fat levels.

A study found that ideal health behaviors such as diet, exercise, etc. Exercise alone has been shown to be a means of lowering high CRP. Avoiding high temperature-cooked food can reduce production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and CRP, thus helping to extinguish the inflammatory fire raging in the bodies of most aging people today. Some drugs, such as statins, have been shown to lower CRP levels in patients with elevated blood lipids.

Over a dozen dietary supplements have been shown to bring down CRP levels in laboratory or human models. C-reactive protein has been in use as a screening measure for inflammation almost since its original discovery.

Levels of CRP begin to rise in the body usually 6 to 12 hours after an inflammatory stimulus and peak around 48 to 96 hours after the event.