The "High Sensitive" C-reactive protein (CRP) test measures inflammation, which is a marker found in blood. It can estimate your chance of developing cardiovascular disease, and your risk of having a sudden heart attack. This blood test was redesigned from the traditional test to be sensitive enough to detect chronic low-level inflammation.
Test results are independent of cholesterol, family history, and other traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The test can be used in conjunction with traditional tests, such as cholesterol, to determine your risk.
The test can be useful if you have an intermediate risk of heart disease and your doctor needs additional information to decide whether to pursue diagnostic tests.
Guidelines from the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include the following risks based on concentrations of hs-CRP in your blood:
• Lowest risk – less than 1.0 mg/L
• Average risk – 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L
• Highest risk – higher than 3.0 mg/L
Taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or Advil, or statins to lower cholesterol, may reduce your hs-CRP level. You should be healthy when you are tested because any recent illness, tissue injury, injection, or general inflammation will raise the amount of hs-CRP and give a false estimate of your risk for heart disease. If you have chronic inflammation from arthritis, your hs-CRP levels will likely be very high and you should not be tested.
(The hs-CRP is not to be confused with the "non-hs" CRP test. Both the hs-CRP and the CRP measure the same molecule in the blood. The hs-CRP is for seemingly healthy people to determine their risk of cardiovascular disease. It measures CRP in the range from 0.5 to 10 mg/L. The CRP test is ordered for patients at risk for bacterial or viral infection (such as following surgery) or patients with chronic inflammatory diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis). It measures CRP in the range from 10 to 1000 mg/L.)
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HIGHLY SENSITIVE C-Reactive protein. For a most accurate Cardio CRP reading, it is strongly recommended to order the coronary screening as well. The relative risk is quantified based on CRP plus cholesterol/HDL ratios.
(The hs-CRP is not to be confused with the "non-hs" CRP test. Both the hs-CRP and the CRP measure the same molecule in the blood. The hs-CRP is for seemingly healthy people to determine their risk of cardiovascular disease. It measures CRP in the range from 0.5 to 10 mg/L. The CRP test is ordered for patients at risk for bacterial or viral infection (such as following surgery) or patients with chronic inflammatory diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis). It measures CRP in the range from 10 to 1000 mg/L.)
