C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced by the liver and fat cells in response to infection, and can be used to diagnose and monitor disease. CRP levels can be affected by factors such as pregnancy, hormonal birth control, dietary fat, and liver disease. Elevated CRP levels may indicate a higher risk of developing conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is one of many proteins that can be found in human blood at various levels, depending on someone’s health. Assessing C-reactive protein levels can be part of diagnosing the disease, and monitoring CRP levels can also play a role in determining how well a patient is responding to a particular drug. Laboratories that process blood can determine the level of protein in the blood using a special test that can be used at the doctor’s request.
This protein is produced by the liver and fat cells in the body. The body produces this type of protein in response to infection, which means high CRP levels can suggest systemic infection. The concentration in the blood tends to increase with the severity of the infection, peaking and then decreasing as the body breaks down the protein once the infection has been dealt with. Medications used to manage systemic infections and inflammation are expected to cause a decrease in CRP levels.
Several things besides infection can alter CRP levels in the blood. Pregnant women and women on hormonal birth control tend to have higher levels, as do people who consume a high amount of dietary fat. Liver disease can change CRP levels, as the liver is a major producer of this protein. When abnormal C-reactive protein levels are found during a blood screening, the patient may be interviewed to rule out these causes.
Studies of this protein have suggested that some diseases can leave telltale sugars linked to CRP, like fingerprints. In theory, it should be possible to test the protein for the presence of particular sugars that could be used to identify a specific disease, although this would require very specialized equipment. More generally, an elevated level of this protein suggests that a patient is dealing with an infection somewhere in her body.
Naturally, CRP is present in trace amounts in the blood. Using highly sensitive tests, doctors can look for the slightly elevated levels that have been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. The presence of higher levels may indicate that a patient is at higher risk of developing these medical conditions. If a patient takes a highly sensitive test that reveals elevated levels, a doctor can make recommendations to minimize the patient’s risk, such as making changes to diet and exercise programs.
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