Interpretation
An elevated CRP indicates the presence of inflammation but is not specific for the site, type or source of inflammation. Causes of an elevated CRP include infection, malignancy, trauma and post-surgery.
CRP may be monitored in a patient with an inflammatory condition to assess response to treatment. Because of its longer half-life (approx. 19 hours) CRP generally starts to decrease after the WBC count has started to decrease.
Caution is advised when interpreting CRP levels in a patient with chronic liver disease. Because CRP is synthesised by hepatocytes, CRP levels in patients with cirrhosis may be misleadingly low.
Test Method
Immunoturbidimetric method on Beckman Coulter AU5822 analyser using Beckman Coulter reagents.