C-Reactive Protein (Blood) - Health Encyclopedia

Does this test have other names? CRP What is this test? 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. CRP is a protein made by the liver and sent into the bloodstream. Blood levels may be higher when you have inflammation or an infection. Because CRP levels often go up before you have symptoms of pain or fever and drop down as you recover, the CRP test is especially useful for tracking infections. Because CRP is part of the immune system, your levels of it rise whenever you have inflammation in your body. But the test doesn't show where the inflammation is or what is causing it. A high-sensitivity CRP test (hs-CRP) may be used to measure your heart disease risk even if you seem healthy. It can find much smaller changes in CRP levels than the...