C-reactive protein: normal and elevated in blood

The fever, body aches, bad state of health - these symptoms are known to almost every person, they indicate a poor state of the body, the presence of a bacterial or viral infection. Sometimes it is difficult to determine which microorganism caused the disease and whether it should be treated with antibiotics. Determine the choice of therapy will help the physician analyze the C reactive protein. The norm of the indicator in healthy people is 0-5 mg / l. What is this analysis, there is a natural question in patients, and what does its increase show?

C-reactive protein refers to glycoproteins, produced by the liver with various tissue damage, tumors, inflammatory processes, burns, necrosis. In the body, he initiates immune reactions, promotes the binding of individual components of microorganisms, tissue particles, toxins. As a result, the processes of phagocytosis are stimulated, harmful products are eliminated from the body. Also, the protein is able to influence the functions of other blood cells - leukocytes, platelets, phagocytes.

Increase of DRR

C-reactive protein in the blood increases with all inflammatory processes, acute and chronic, with infections, parasitic diseases, tuberculosis, tumors. Within 4-6 hours after tissue damage it rises and reaches its maximum value after one to three days. The indicator is not specific for any particular infection, its high values indicate the activity of the inflammatory process at the time of the study. To monitor the course of the disease, it is necessary to monitor the level of CRP, its reduction allows you to judge the stagnation of inflammation and improve the patient's condition, usually this occurs 6-10 days after the start of treatment.

If the concentration of the inflammatory protein increases, most likely, the therapy does not bring the desired effect. In inflammatory processes, sepsis, rheumatism, pancreatic necrosis, myocardial infarction, the indicator increases in tens, and even hundreds of times, and can reach 400 mg / l.

The analysis of blood on srb is used for differential diagnosis of viral and bacterial infections. Thus, with bacterial infectious agents, C reactive protein is significantly increased. The norm of it in the blood (or a slight increase) indicates that the causative agent of the disease is the virus or spirochete.

In the postoperative period, especially after severe surgical interventions, there is an increase in CRP, but the analysis quickly comes back to normal in the absence of complications. If a bacterial infection has joined, there has been a rejection of the transplant, this protein will be dramatically increased.

CRP in diseases of the heart and blood vessels

The analysis allows to determine what is the cause of pain in the heart. If there was a myocardial infarction, the indicator will be increased, There is tissue necrosis. High figures of CRP in case of heart attack and cerebral stroke indicate an unfavorable prognosis. If the patient has an acute attack of angina, then in the analysis you will see that the reactive protein is the norm.

Along with cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins, CRP can talk about severe vascular arteriosclerosis and the risk of vascular complications.

When is C reactive protein normal?

In the absence of an active inflammatory process in the body, the indicator will be within the norm. Reduction of CRP to a normal level may indicate that the disease has passed into a chronic stage, the process is worsening or the patient has recovered.