Hs-CRP

Hs-CRP for Cardiac Disease Risk Assessment

CRP, also known as C-Reactive Protein, is a type of pentameric protein found in blood plasma of the human body. It is produced by the liver and its level is used to detect inflammation due to acute conditions or infections. It is released into the blood

• Few hours after an injury;
• At the start of an infection;
• Heart attack;
• Surgery or
• Trauma

CRP test result is mostly used by the doctors to measure the risk of an occurrence of a cardio vascular disease(CVD), hypertension or diabetes.

A high sensitivity CRP test (Hs-CRP) is used to

• Evaluate a person’s risk of developing coronary artery disease caused due to deposition of lipids in the arteries thereby narrowing them and increasing the risk of a heart attack.
• Evaluate the risk of a second heart attack.
• Accurately measure low levels of CRP, for identifying the low levels of persistent inflammation in the body, which is then used to estimate a possible heart attack in a person.

Increased level of Hs-CRP is associated with increased risks of a heart attack.

Following gives the normal range of the two tests:

Test	Range
CRP	Lower Risk: <10mg/L Sign of Serious Infection: >10mg/L
Hs-CRP	Lower Risk: <2mg/L Higher Risk: >2mg/L

Both these tests will not give the cause of inflammation but the probability of occurrence of a CVD, stroke, sudden cardiac death, peripheral arterial disease (despite cholesterol under normal levels), fibrosis, colon cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. It should be combined with lipid profile and glucose level for better interpretation.

It is recommended for people who are

• Obese;
• At a higher risk of heart attack;
• Males at more than 50 years of age;
• Females at more than 60 years of age;
• Smokers and
• People suffering from diabetes, hypertension or trauma (as guided by American Heart Association).

 

References:

1. Kamath, D. Y., Xavier, D., Sigamani, A., &Pais, P. (2015). High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) & cardiovascular disease: An Indian perspective. The Indian journal of medical research, 142(3), 261–268. doi:10.4103/0971-5916.166582
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/c-reactive-protein-test/about/pac-20385228#targetText=A%20high%2Dsensitivity%20C%2Dreactive,lead%20to%20a%20heart%20attack.
3. https://labtestsonline.org/tests/high-sensitivity-c-reactive-protein-hs-crp
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-reactive_protein#Diagnostic_use
5. https://labtestsonline.org/tests/c-reactive-protein-crp#targetText=The%20C%2Dreactive%20protein%20(CRP,sites%2C%20with%20or%20without%20sepsis

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