WHAT IS CRP

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein made by the liver. CRP levels in the blood increase when there is a condition causing inflammation somewhere in the body. A CRP test measures the amount of CRP in the blood to detect inflammation due to acute conditions or to monitor the severity of disease in chronic conditions. (LABTESTONLINE, 2021)

WHY CRP TEST

After an injury, the start of an infection, or other cause of inflammation, CRP is released into the blood within several hours, making it a non-specific indicator of inflammation and one of the most sensitive acute phase reactants.

You may need this test if you have symptoms of a serious bacterial infection. The level of CRP can surge as much as a thousand-fold in response to bacterial infection (LABTESTONLINE, 2021) Symptoms include:

²  Fever

²  Chills

²  Rapid breathing

²  Rapid heart rate

²  Nausea and vomiting

A CRP test is simple and safe, and you don’t need any special preparations. A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. The process usually takes less than 5 minutes and all you feel is a little sting. (MedlinePlus, 2020)

HOW OFTEN SHOULD CRP BE CHECKED

Checking the CRP level for the entire adult population is not recommended. Some experts recommend checking the serum CRP level routinely along with the cholesterol level; however, although this is not widely accepted. (MedicineNet, 2021)

Ideally, for cardiac risk testing, it is advisable to use the average between two separate CRP levels drawn two weeks part. Because measuring CRP levels at any point in time may be influenced by any infection or inflammation in the body, onetime measurement is generally not regarded as an adequate predictor of cardiovascular risk. (MedicineNet, 2021)

CRP MEETS COVID-19

The outbreak of COVID-19 is an emerging global health threat. Clinical studies demonstrated that elevated level of C‐reactive protein may be an early marker to predict risk for severity of COVID‐19. It has been found CRP level changes significantly in patients with severe COVID-19 conditions. (MedlinePlus, 2020)

With reference to the outcome made by some recent studies, serum concentration of CRP in patients with COVID‐19 are presented in Table 1. (MedlinePlus, 2020)

WHY CRP TEST SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED TO THE COVID PATIENTS?

Doctors are conducting it mandatorily for the patients with critical conditions who are in hospital care, because it is one of the indicators showing the body’s reaction to the ongoing treatment. In Covid treatment, if the CRP is the normal level then the patient’s body is reacting to the treatment positively and if it is higher than the required, then doctors would check the infection level in the body through other tests like CT scan. CRP test is not costly like CT scan and the CRP level in the patients on the basis of which doctors can decide the next course of action. Doctors recommend it for at least twice on an interval of 4-5 days just to check the inflammation so as to judge about the further complication level and to know further complications.And it is also recommended for those in home isolation too if they do not show any improvement in their symptoms even after the passing of a week.

BIOTIME CRP

Biotime CRP is a rapid in vitro diagnostic test for quantitative determination of C-reactive protein (CRP) in human blood; helping reduce diagnostic uncertainty and guiding antibiotic decision making during your patient’s visit. It gives you reliable, highly-accurate results conveniently available in 3 minutes. Featuring long shelf life, Biotime CRP Test Cartridge contains all reagents necessary for the measurement of C-reactive protein with 24 months room temperature storage. The measurement of C-reactive protein provides valuable information for a diagnosis of viral or self-limiting infection, and now due to the pandemic, it may also serve as an auxiliary in the prevention and control of the COVID-19.

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References

LABTESTONLINE, (2021). C-Reactive Protein (CRP). [online] Available at: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/c-reactive-protein-crp [Accessed 20 Jul. 2021].

MedlinePlus, (2020). C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test. [online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/c-reactive-protein-crp-test/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2021].

Ali, N. (2020). Elevated level of C‐reactive protein may be an early marker to predict risk for severity of COVID‐19 [online] NCBI. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7301027/ [Accessed 20 Jul. 2021].

MedicineNet, (2021). C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test and Levels. [online] Available at: https://www.medicinenet.com/c-reactive_protein_test_crp/article.htm [Accessed 20 Jul. 2021].

The Indian Express, (2021). Explained: Why doctors are recommending CRP tests even for Covid patients in home isolation. [online] Available at: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-why-are-doctors-recommending-crp-tests-even-for-the-covid-patients-in-home-isolation-7307489/