A high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test, or Cardio CRP, measures your risk for cardiovascular disease. Dr. Neal Weintraub of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics says that CRP is an inexpensive blood test, requiring no special preparation, sophisticated equipment or trained personnel.
Inflammation
Elevated levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein, or hs-CRP, indicate inflammation somewhere in your cardiovascular system. CRP detects small increases in the protein in your blood. This test cannot determine the exact location of the inflammation, although your doctor can gain valuable insight by comparing your CRP test results with other signs and symptoms, such as high blood pressure and chest pain.
Independent Risk Marker
Your doctor may use several tests to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease. She will order a cholesterol screening to assess your LDL levels, also helpful in screening patients for heart disease. Physicians consider cardio CRP levels as an independent risk factor, meaning your chances for cardiovascular disease are still high if you have an elevated CRP but low cholesterol levels. Quest Diagnostics states that testing CRP values alongside LDL predicts your risk for heart disease more accurately than does a cholesterol test alone.
Risk
Your CRP levels indicate your risk for heart disease. LabTestsOnline says you have a low risk for cardiovascular disease if your hs-CRP levels are below 1.0 mg/L. Levels between 1 and 3 mg/L mean you have an average risk for heart problems while levels over 3 mg/L indicate a high risk for cardiovascular disease. A person whose CRP levels measure at the high end of normal are 1.5 to 4 times more at risk for cardiac problems than someone at the low end of normal. Physicians will screen patients with CRP values exceeding 10 mg/L for underlying inflammatory or infectious disorders.
Testing
Because an elevated CRP indicates inflammation somewhere in the body not necessarily related to an acute and specific cardiac event, your doctor may order repeat testing with the two tests occurring two weeks apart. The medical laboratory will instruct you to refrain from eating or drinking anything but water if your CRP test is to accompany cholesterol screening, including LDL level measurement.
Treatment
Your doctor will prescribe treatment based on your laboratory results, including cardiac CRP and LDL levels. Intensive statin therapy is more effective at lowering CRP and LDL levels to slow the progression of cardiovascular disease than is moderate treatment, according to Cardiology Online. Repeat blood testing is an effective method of monitoring treatment efficacy.
References
- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; February is Heart Month; October 2006
- Quest Diagnostics; Cardio CRP testing: Beyond Traditional CHD Risk Assessment: 2011
- LabTestsOnline; Hs-CRP; July 2011
- Cardiology Online; Lowering LDL Cholesterol and C-Reactive Protein Levels; Ashley Starkweather, B.S., et al.; January 2005
