CRP, the inflammation marker C-Reactive Protein
A protein your liver makes fast when you get an infection or a wound.
What it measures
A protein the liver releases within hours of inflammation anywhere in the body; this is the standard-sensitivity test.
Confirms that something is actively inflamed, and while it is raised it makes ferritin unreadable as an iron store.
Why it matters for how long you stay well
It answers the question of whether something is inflamed right now. For the slow simmer that matters across decades, the high-sensitivity version is the one to read.
How it shows up in daily life
A cold, a dental problem, a sprain or a hard fall the week before can lift this, and you will usually know which.
High and low readings
When it reads high
Something is actively inflamed: an infection, a gum, a joint.
When it reads low
Low is good.
What moves it
Daily life
- a recent infection or injury
- dental trouble
- weight around your middle
- smoking
- sleep
Medicines known to shift it
- statins (lower it)
- steroids (lower it)
- NSAIDs (can lower it)
Listed so a result can be read in context. It is not advice to start, stop or change any medicine; that decision belongs with your physician.
Common questions
What does C-Reactive Protein measure?
A protein the liver releases within hours of inflammation anywhere in the body; this is the standard-sensitivity test. Confirms that something is actively inflamed, and while it is raised it makes ferritin unreadable as an iron store.
What does a high CRP result usually mean?
Something is actively inflamed: an infection, a gum, a joint.
What does a low CRP result usually mean?
Low is good.
What is the usual reference range for CRP?
A broad adult reference band is below 10 mg/L. Labs differ, so read your result against the band printed on your own report.
Educational only, not a diagnosis. A single number means little without your history and the rest of your panel, so discuss your own results with your physician.
Typical adult reference band
- Adults
- below 10 mg/L
Labs differ. The band printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Reported in mg/L
Worth knowing
It can climb a thousandfold within a day or two of an infection, faster than almost anything else on the panel.
Related reading
Have a report with this marker on it? Read it in context.
Upload it to Oraia, our health-intelligence tool, for a plain-language read of your markers that a Genoryx doctor can review.
Your biological age is a number you can measure.
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