CRP

What it is

CRP (C-reactive protein) is made by the liver and rises when there's inflammation somewhere in the body; the standard CRP test is designed to pick up the larger elevations seen with infection, injury, and active inflammatory conditions, while the high-sensitivity version (hs-CRP) detects much subtler changes for cardiovascular risk context. The tests differ in sensitivity and typical use, not in what they measure. CRP is entirely non-specific — it can't point to a cause or a location, and it rises with something as ordinary as a recent cold — so it's read alongside your symptoms, history, and other results, and often rechecked once any acute illness has passed.

Typical range

Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and what is normal for you depends on your own history. Your own lab’s range is the one printed on your report.

Worth asking your clinician

• Could a recent illness, injury, or anything else going on explain this result?
• Given my situation, would an hs-CRP or a repeat CRP once I'm well add anything useful?
• What do you look at alongside CRP when deciding whether it means anything here?