Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy the Test Is DoneAssociated ConditionsHow Long Levels Stay HighNext StepsPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why the Test Is Done
Associated Conditions
How Long Levels Stay High
Next Steps
Prevention
High C-reactive protein signals many possible conditions. A few examples include heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, pancreatitis, infections, and certain cancers.Your healthcare provider will perform additional tests to identify the underlying cause.
PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images
What Does a High CRP Level Mean?
A high CRP level means that you have mild to severe inflammation in your body. YourCRP test scorereflects the extent of the inflammation but not its underlying cause.
When You Need CRP Testing
Your healthcare provider may run CRP testing if your symptoms suggest an inflammatory health condition. Providers also use CRP to monitor your health after you’re diagnosed with a chronic disease or following surgery.
You may need a different type of CRP test—a high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP)—to identify your risk for cardiovascular disease.
The hs-CRP measures very low amounts of CRP, with a focus on cardiac risk and prevention of heart-related disease. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association consider a level of 2 mg/L and above to be a possible risk factor for heart attacks.
Conditions Associated With Elevated CRP
Your CRP levels may be mild, moderate, marked, or severe. The following conditions may be associated with each level:
Mild Elevation (0.3 to 1 mg/dL)
Moderate Elevation (1 to 10 mg/dL)
Marked Elevation (10 to 50 mg/dL)
Severe Elevation (50 mg/dL and higher]
CRP levels of 50 mg/dL or higher usually indicate a severe, acute bacterial infection.
What CRP Level Is Dangerously High?Whether a CRP level is dangerous will depend on your test results, your medical history, and the possible causes of inflammation.Your provider will likely consider any level above 1 mg/dL to be elevated and will want to talk to you about the possible causes and treatments.If your levels are markedly or severely elevated, you may need more intensive treatment (even a hospital stay) to figure out the cause and get the levels back down to a normal range.
What CRP Level Is Dangerously High?
Whether a CRP level is dangerous will depend on your test results, your medical history, and the possible causes of inflammation.Your provider will likely consider any level above 1 mg/dL to be elevated and will want to talk to you about the possible causes and treatments.If your levels are markedly or severely elevated, you may need more intensive treatment (even a hospital stay) to figure out the cause and get the levels back down to a normal range.
Whether a CRP level is dangerous will depend on your test results, your medical history, and the possible causes of inflammation.
Your provider will likely consider any level above 1 mg/dL to be elevated and will want to talk to you about the possible causes and treatments.If your levels are markedly or severely elevated, you may need more intensive treatment (even a hospital stay) to figure out the cause and get the levels back down to a normal range.
How long CRP levels stay high matters. When your levels stay elevated for a long time, it can be a sign that there is chronic inflammation in the blood vessels in your body.
Low-grade inflammation contributes to the deposit of fat and other substances in the walls of your arteries (atherosclerosis). The build-up of fat can narrow the arteries that bring the heart blood, causing coronary artery disease (CAD). Over time, this can lead to heart attack, stroke, orheart failure—even for people with high CRP levels who have no signs or symptoms of active inflammation.
A study of 376 people found that 210 of them diagnosed with CAD had elevated CRP levels when compared with 166 people who did not have CAD.The CRP level increased in step with the degree of blood vessel damage as seen on an imaging test used to visualize blood flow through the heart (coronaryangiography).
Is High CRP Related to COVID?High CRP is a sign of inflammation in the body, which can happen when you have an infection like COVID-19. Research has shown that having elevated CRP levels when you have COVID is associated with complications like blood clots (venous thromboembolism), acute kidney injury, critical illness, and mortality.
Is High CRP Related to COVID?
High CRP is a sign of inflammation in the body, which can happen when you have an infection like COVID-19. Research has shown that having elevated CRP levels when you have COVID is associated with complications like blood clots (venous thromboembolism), acute kidney injury, critical illness, and mortality.
After your healthcare provider gets your CRP test results, they may need to perform additional diagnostic tests to determine the cause of the inflammation.
Lab tests often used to diagnose the underlying health condition include:
If you had a hs-CRP test for heart disease, your healthcare provider may recommend additional cardiovascular tests, such as an electrocardiogram (EKG), echocardiogram, or angiogram.
Your healthcare provider will determine the best treatment based on the cause of your elevated CRP levels. They may recommend lifestyle changes, prescribe medications targeting the underlying condition, or refer you to a specialist, such as a cardiologist or rheumatologist.
Preventing High CRP Levels
In some cases, you may need medications like statins that not only treat the underlying cause, but also help lower CRP levels.
Risk Factors
Elevated CRP levels are frequently linked torisk factors for heart diseaseand other chronic health conditions including:
Lifestyle Changes
You may lower your CRP levels and reduce your risk for health problems without needing medications. The following lifestyle changes can prevent chronic disease and stop it from progressively worsening:
It’s not clear how much lowering your CRP level can help lower your risk of heart disease or other health conditions. However, high CRP levels are a sign that your health will likely benefit from lifestyle changes. Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk factors and how to prevent disease and lower CRP.
Statins
Statinsare drugs that lower cholesterol. Studies show that they can significantly reduce hs-CRP and CRP levels.Statins can also greatly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with high CRP levels who do not have any other signs or symptoms.
These common statin medications that may help bring down CRP levels and reduce related cardiac risks:
If you have high CRP levels—especially if you have one or more additional risk factors for heart disease—consider talking to your provider about statin therapy.
Does Aspirin Help?
By itself, aspirin does not lower CRP levels.Daily aspirin therapyis sometimes used as a heart attack and stroke prevention measure.However, the risks of taking aspirin every day are sometimes higher than the possible preventive benefits, so it’s important to talk to your provider about whether the treatment would be safe for you.
People with high CRP may benefit from aspirin therapy more than people with normal CRP levels. For example, it might be useful for people with elevated CRP levels who are at a higher risk of heart disease or who have already had a cardiac event.
Aspirin therapy is not safe and effective for everyone. Always talk to your healthcare provider before taking low-dose aspirin for daily therapy.
Summary
High CRP levels mean you have inflammation in your body. Inflammation can be a sign of infections, inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and many other mild to serious health conditions. High CRP is a major indicator of your heart disease risk.
If your healthcare provider runs a CRP test, they evaluate your results and determine if you need additional diagnostic testing to determine the cause of the inflammation. You may be able to lower mildly elevated CRP levels with lifestyle changes. However, many people may need medication to treat the condition and lower their CRP.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Rochester.C-reactive protein (blood).Landry A, Docherty P, Ouellette S, et al.Causes and outcomes of markedly elevated C-reactive protein levels.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(6):e316-e323.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Executive summary: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e563-e595. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000677National Library of Medicine: StatPearls.C-reactive protein.Li J, Jiao X, Yuan Z, Qiu H, Guo R.C-reactive protein and risk of ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine. 2017;96(34):e7822. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000007822Mount Sinai.C-reactive protein.Alfaddagh A, Martin SS, Leucker TM, Michos ED, Blaha MJ, Lowenstein CJ, et al. Inflammation and cardiovascular disease: From mechanisms to therapeutics.Am J Prev Cardiol. 2020 Nov 21;4:100130. doi:10.1016/j.ajpc.2020.100130Kishimoto Y, Aoyama M, Saita E, Ohmori R, Tanimoto K, Kondo K,et al.No Significant Association Between Plasma Endosialin Levels and the Presence or Severity of Coronary Artery Disease.J Clin Med Res. 2022 May;14(5):202-208. doi:10.14740/jocmr4730.Smilowitz NR, Kunichoff D, Garshick M, et al.C-reactive protein and clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.European Heart Journal. 2021;42(23):2270-2279. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa1103Texas Heart Institute.How can one naturally lower an elevated CRP count?Kandelouei T, Abbasifard M, Imani D, et al.Effect of Statins on Serum level of hs-CRP and CRP in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Mediators Inflamm. 2022 Jan 28;2022:8732360. doi:10.1155/2022/8732360.American Heart Association.Aspirin and heart disease.Additional ReadingU.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al. Risk Assessment for Cardiovascular Disease With Nontraditional Risk Factors: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA2018; 320:272.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Rochester.C-reactive protein (blood).Landry A, Docherty P, Ouellette S, et al.Causes and outcomes of markedly elevated C-reactive protein levels.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(6):e316-e323.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Executive summary: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e563-e595. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000677National Library of Medicine: StatPearls.C-reactive protein.Li J, Jiao X, Yuan Z, Qiu H, Guo R.C-reactive protein and risk of ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine. 2017;96(34):e7822. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000007822Mount Sinai.C-reactive protein.Alfaddagh A, Martin SS, Leucker TM, Michos ED, Blaha MJ, Lowenstein CJ, et al. Inflammation and cardiovascular disease: From mechanisms to therapeutics.Am J Prev Cardiol. 2020 Nov 21;4:100130. doi:10.1016/j.ajpc.2020.100130Kishimoto Y, Aoyama M, Saita E, Ohmori R, Tanimoto K, Kondo K,et al.No Significant Association Between Plasma Endosialin Levels and the Presence or Severity of Coronary Artery Disease.J Clin Med Res. 2022 May;14(5):202-208. doi:10.14740/jocmr4730.Smilowitz NR, Kunichoff D, Garshick M, et al.C-reactive protein and clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.European Heart Journal. 2021;42(23):2270-2279. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa1103Texas Heart Institute.How can one naturally lower an elevated CRP count?Kandelouei T, Abbasifard M, Imani D, et al.Effect of Statins on Serum level of hs-CRP and CRP in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Mediators Inflamm. 2022 Jan 28;2022:8732360. doi:10.1155/2022/8732360.American Heart Association.Aspirin and heart disease.Additional ReadingU.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al. Risk Assessment for Cardiovascular Disease With Nontraditional Risk Factors: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA2018; 320:272.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
University of Rochester.C-reactive protein (blood).Landry A, Docherty P, Ouellette S, et al.Causes and outcomes of markedly elevated C-reactive protein levels.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(6):e316-e323.Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Executive summary: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e563-e595. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000677National Library of Medicine: StatPearls.C-reactive protein.Li J, Jiao X, Yuan Z, Qiu H, Guo R.C-reactive protein and risk of ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine. 2017;96(34):e7822. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000007822Mount Sinai.C-reactive protein.Alfaddagh A, Martin SS, Leucker TM, Michos ED, Blaha MJ, Lowenstein CJ, et al. Inflammation and cardiovascular disease: From mechanisms to therapeutics.Am J Prev Cardiol. 2020 Nov 21;4:100130. doi:10.1016/j.ajpc.2020.100130Kishimoto Y, Aoyama M, Saita E, Ohmori R, Tanimoto K, Kondo K,et al.No Significant Association Between Plasma Endosialin Levels and the Presence or Severity of Coronary Artery Disease.J Clin Med Res. 2022 May;14(5):202-208. doi:10.14740/jocmr4730.Smilowitz NR, Kunichoff D, Garshick M, et al.C-reactive protein and clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.European Heart Journal. 2021;42(23):2270-2279. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa1103Texas Heart Institute.How can one naturally lower an elevated CRP count?Kandelouei T, Abbasifard M, Imani D, et al.Effect of Statins on Serum level of hs-CRP and CRP in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Mediators Inflamm. 2022 Jan 28;2022:8732360. doi:10.1155/2022/8732360.American Heart Association.Aspirin and heart disease.
University of Rochester.C-reactive protein (blood).
Landry A, Docherty P, Ouellette S, et al.Causes and outcomes of markedly elevated C-reactive protein levels.Can Fam Physician. 2017;63(6):e316-e323.
Arnett DK, Blumenthal RS, Albert MA, et al.2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: Executive summary: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.Circulation. 2019;140(11):e563-e595. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000677
National Library of Medicine: StatPearls.C-reactive protein.
Li J, Jiao X, Yuan Z, Qiu H, Guo R.C-reactive protein and risk of ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine. 2017;96(34):e7822. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000007822
Mount Sinai.C-reactive protein.
Alfaddagh A, Martin SS, Leucker TM, Michos ED, Blaha MJ, Lowenstein CJ, et al. Inflammation and cardiovascular disease: From mechanisms to therapeutics.Am J Prev Cardiol. 2020 Nov 21;4:100130. doi:10.1016/j.ajpc.2020.100130
Kishimoto Y, Aoyama M, Saita E, Ohmori R, Tanimoto K, Kondo K,et al.No Significant Association Between Plasma Endosialin Levels and the Presence or Severity of Coronary Artery Disease.J Clin Med Res. 2022 May;14(5):202-208. doi:10.14740/jocmr4730.
Smilowitz NR, Kunichoff D, Garshick M, et al.C-reactive protein and clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.European Heart Journal. 2021;42(23):2270-2279. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa1103
Texas Heart Institute.How can one naturally lower an elevated CRP count?
Kandelouei T, Abbasifard M, Imani D, et al.Effect of Statins on Serum level of hs-CRP and CRP in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Mediators Inflamm. 2022 Jan 28;2022:8732360. doi:10.1155/2022/8732360.
American Heart Association.Aspirin and heart disease.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Curry SJ, Krist AH, et al. Risk Assessment for Cardiovascular Disease With Nontraditional Risk Factors: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA2018; 320:272.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
