C-Reactive Protein Test

CRP or C-Reactive-Protein implies a substance produced by human liver to give response to the problem of inflammation. High CRP level in one’s blood thus indicates inflammation, which may take place because of different conditions, whether it may be a small infection or a cancer. High levels of CRP even indicate inflammation of heart and arteries, which further imply a huge risk related to poor cardiac health or heart attack.

Inform about any medicine, natural herb or supplement you take on a daily basis. You may have normal diet and water before the test. However, if possible, you should avoid any toxic drink or intake of any fast food before few hours of your test. Along with this, if your doctor gives you any specific instructions related to physical activity or diet before your C-Reactive-Protein test, you should make sure to follow it properly. While talking about your clothes, you should wear half-sleeve t-shirt or shirt to appear for the CRP test. Alternatively, an easily foldable t-shirt or shirt works well to appear for the CRP test.

C-Reactive-Protein or CRP test is helpful for doctors in the determination of any risk related to stroke, heart attack or any other cardiac problem. CRP has proved to be highly effective as compared to cholesterol to predict various coronary problems in women. In case CRP test indicates high CRP value, it indicates different health situations of human beings. These include autoimmune arthritis, infections, lupus, pregnancy and different forms of cancer. If this is not enough, doctors may use CRP test in combination with other tests to diagnose various inflammatory autoimmune problems. These are lupus, inflammatory bowel problems and rheumatoid arthritis problems.

Health practitioners will draw blood from your vein that remains at the back of your arm or inner part of your elbow. For this, they rub cotton dipped in an antiseptic lotion to clean the skin and at the same time, wrap tourniquet across the arm. Tying of the tourniquet causes bulging out of the veins a bit. Now, practitioners will prick a small needle within the vein and collect the blood sample within a sterile vial. After collecting the sample, health practitioners remove the tourniquet tied across the arm and ask to apply pressure to the pricked area by using gauze. Even they use a bandage for holding the gauze in its right place.