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Crp question
- Thread starter Lam123
- Start date
DustyKat
Super Moderator
It depends on the lab you use and what country you are in for values.
In Aus a normal range is less than 6 but again this figure does vary between labs. I think the US is less than 1?? Not sure about Canada. If you have any blood results available to you will find that the normal reference is listed along with the result.
An elevated CRP is an indicator of inflammation but it is not specific to bowel, so an abnormal result is telling you you have inflammation somewhere in the body. If you have active GI symptoms then you can pretty much reliably say that an elevated CRP is reflecting that. If you have no GI symptoms and your CRP is raised then it can still mean GI inflammation but would also have you looking at other things that may have been present at the time of testing…colds/flu, allergies, asthma, injuries, other inflammatory disorders you may like arthritis and so on.
Dusty. xxx
In Aus a normal range is less than 6 but again this figure does vary between labs. I think the US is less than 1?? Not sure about Canada. If you have any blood results available to you will find that the normal reference is listed along with the result.
An elevated CRP is an indicator of inflammation but it is not specific to bowel, so an abnormal result is telling you you have inflammation somewhere in the body. If you have active GI symptoms then you can pretty much reliably say that an elevated CRP is reflecting that. If you have no GI symptoms and your CRP is raised then it can still mean GI inflammation but would also have you looking at other things that may have been present at the time of testing…colds/flu, allergies, asthma, injuries, other inflammatory disorders you may like arthritis and so on.
Dusty. xxx
- Location
- UNITED KINGDOM
Also, in the context of GI issues different Drs take varying amount of notice of the reading.
Here our normal value is less that 5, although Rheumy would like it to be 0 but grudgingly will allow up to 10, and GP thinks up to 20 is fine!
Also been told by one Dr that they wouldn't worry in the context of GI issues unless it was in the 100s.
You can see from my signature I have learnt alot through experience over the years about CRP, lol.
Here our normal value is less that 5, although Rheumy would like it to be 0 but grudgingly will allow up to 10, and GP thinks up to 20 is fine!
Also been told by one Dr that they wouldn't worry in the context of GI issues unless it was in the 100s.
You can see from my signature I have learnt alot through experience over the years about CRP, lol.
My gastro says that below 4 is good. I was also told that they only get really concerned if it's over 100.
Adding on to what others have already said about diff labs-
In addition to the number, one needs to know the units and the normal reference range for the lab where the test was analyzed. Without units, it is impossible to say if a "4" is low, normal or high. Even with the same units, different labs have different normal range because of variations in the way the test is done. It's useful to ask for a copy of your lab results; the paper should show your lab value and the normal range right next to it.
If you have enough tests, some values may turn up slightly low or high and still be normal since the normal range is the normal for 95% of healthy people, with 2.5% having values below and 2.5% having values above. Lab values that are quite a bit higher or lower than the normal range are more likely to be significant than values only slightly out of the normal range. Your doctor should be able to help you understand whether a lab value is abnormal and if so what it means.
In addition to the number, one needs to know the units and the normal reference range for the lab where the test was analyzed. Without units, it is impossible to say if a "4" is low, normal or high. Even with the same units, different labs have different normal range because of variations in the way the test is done. It's useful to ask for a copy of your lab results; the paper should show your lab value and the normal range right next to it.
If you have enough tests, some values may turn up slightly low or high and still be normal since the normal range is the normal for 95% of healthy people, with 2.5% having values below and 2.5% having values above. Lab values that are quite a bit higher or lower than the normal range are more likely to be significant than values only slightly out of the normal range. Your doctor should be able to help you understand whether a lab value is abnormal and if so what it means.