C reactive protein - does anyone know their number

Jenfrombill · Little Guppy Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 36

Hi,

I posted this in another area too, so I am very sorry if I am not supposed to post it again. I am not sure of the rules. I am looking for some feedback on what other people had for this number (c reative protein, CRP). I have one doctor who is concerned with mine being an 8 and another telling me that is nothing, it should be a 50 if there is a problem. Someone else on this site said that 50 didn't sound right for this test as well, but she is like me not positive about the numbers for this. I am just trying to see what others think. Thank you. And again, I am sorry for the repost and for always posting ?'s lately. Please let me know if this is not allowed.

Thank you.

laurid8967 · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:38 am Post subject:

Hey Jen,
I think Oluwa posted what she found about CRP, and anything over 3 is considered high. Mine is a 10, and my doctor sent me a letter saying this is not normal, and he wants to see me right away. My GP told me that he wroter her a letter too, stating this is too high (particularly being on prednisone) and thats why they want to try Imuran.
All info I could find also says anything over 3 is high. Like I said before, it seems like she's thinking of sed rate, which anything over 20 is elevated, but rheumies dont start to get really worried until its like 40 or so (in my experience).
What about if you call your regular doctor and see what she/he thinks?
Let me know -
Lauri
_________________
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference...

Bridget · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:07 am Post subject: CRP values

I have had a consistently high C-Reactive Protein so I've done a bit of research here. (keep in mind that I do not have an official diagnosis of lupus, but clinically the disease is evident.) There are different kinds of CRP tests - qualitative and quantitative. The "in range" values for quantitative CRP are 0.0 - 4.9 mg/L. (mine is 17.4 mg/L.) Qualitative in range values are less than .80 mg/dL. (mine are between 1.47 and 2.38 mg/dL.)

From what I've read, the C-Reactive Protein is a measurement of inflammation in the body. It cannot tell us where the inflammation is coming from, but is an indicator that more testing might be warranted. It can also be used to monitor disease activity because the levels fluctuate quickly as lupus flares wax and wane. This is unlike the sedimentation rate which takes longer to react to changes.

Quote from lab tests online
"C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant, a substance made by the liver and secreted into the bloodstream within a few hours after the start of an infection or inflammation. Increased levels are observed after a heart attack, in sepsis, and after a surgical procedure. Its rise in the blood can also precede pain, fever, or other clinical indicators. The level of CRP can jump a thousand-fold in response to inflammation and can be valuable in monitoring disease activity."

Bridget

WendyR · Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject:

Hi - I have been posting under the newbies thread because I only joined the site recently. The docs have been trying to decide whether I have lupus or polymyalgia rheumatica plus one or two other strange illnesses. Anyway, my ESR is 44 and my CRP is 23.4. My doctor tells me both are high but the CRP is especially high because normal is between 0 and 4.9 mg/l. Both are a sign of inflammation. I also have an elevated ANA but don't know whether it's very high or not. It's currently at 1:160 but I don't think that's especially high for lupus.

I'm curious about other people's levels.

Wendy

Bridget · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:56 am Post subject: My ANA

My ANA is 1:640 with a homogenous pattern. Keep in mind that the way ANA titer is calculated is by measuring the dilution it takes the make the antibody undetectable. Every drop doubles the measurement.

ie)
one drop 1:40
two drops 1:80
three drops 1:160
four drops 1:320
five drops 1:640
six drops 1:1280

So the higher you get, the more quickly the number jumps. I believe your ANA was 1:160, so it took three drops of dilutant to make the antibody undtectable. It took 5 drops for me. ANAs can be in the several thousands, so 1:160 is relatively low, but it's still a definite positive. Hope that helps. Smile

WendyR · Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject:

Thank you, Bridget, that's really helpful. Mine went up from 1:80 to 1:160 so that makes sense now. I was wondering what the relationship between the two results was. I realized it was fairly low and my CRP was more significant.

Wendy