C-reactive protein (CRP) is closely linked to rheumatoid arthritis and can be used to diagnose and monitor the disease. However, other factors must also be considered, and not all patients with rheumatoid arthritis will test positive for CRP. Doctors have known about the connection between CRP and rheumatoid arthritis since the 1980s.
C-reactive protein (CRP) and rheumatoid arthritis are closely linked in the majority of rheumatoid arthritis patients. The presence of CRP in a patient’s bloodstream can alert doctors to the possibility that the patient has this disease, although not all rheumatoid arthritis patients will test positive for CRP. While CRP can be indicative of other problems, the presence of this protein along with other rheumatoid arthritis symptoms can be a strong indicator that a patient has the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is often difficult for doctors to diagnose because many of the symptoms mimic those of other disorders, so a test to determine the presence of CRP is one way to narrow down the possible causes of a patient’s symptoms.
Doctors have known about the connection between PCR and rheumatoid arthritis since the 1980s. This protein was discovered in the 1930s, when it was found that the presence of this protein in a patient’s bloodstream indicates that there is inflammation somewhere in the body. While tests of CRP levels can’t be used to tell where or how severe the inflammation is, the test can help doctors diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. Patients with mild cases of this disease may not have visible swelling in the joints, but PCR testing can confirm the presence of inflammation.
CRP can indicate any type of swelling, so when making a connection between the presence of CRP and rheumatoid arthritis, doctors need to look at a number of other factors. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis often test positive for certain antibodies, which, when present along with CRP, can indicate the possibility of this disease. Although CRP can indicate rheumatoid arthritis, it can also be present in overweight patients, so doctors will take this into account when examining the levels of this protein in the patient’s blood. CRP and rheumatoid arthritis are not so closely related that the presence of one positively indicates the presence of the other.
The CRP levels in a patient’s bloodstream can also be used to determine the effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis treatments for an individual patient. When examining this connection between CRP and rheumatoid arthritis, doctors will periodically test the levels of CRP in a patient’s blood to determine if the inflammation is decreasing. A drop in CRP indicates that a particular rheumatoid arthritis treatment may be effective, while an increase or no change in CRP levels may indicate that the disease continues to progress, even if the patient’s symptoms have improved.
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