C reactive protein (Read 554 times)

I know there are some medically knowledgeable folks on here.

Recently had a cardiac panel done.  Everything was good except hs-CRP.  It was 6 and acceptable is below 1 I believe.  I had run 30 miles over the weekend preceding a Monday a.m. blooddraw and wonder if inflammation in the legs could contribute to hs-CRP.  My doctor indicated to me that there is no real cause and effect established.  In other words, people with heart disease often have hs-CRP but researchers cannot say that CRP leads to heart disease (could be that the plaques and disease cause the inflamation that results in hs-CRP).

Guess I am wondering.... should I be concerned.  Doc was rather nonchalant but it concerned me.  Can i bring this down?  Can hard exercise cause this reaction in the body without leading to heart disease. 

The information on the net seems to support some uncertainty around this measure.

Thanks.

39 11/12

Unless you smoke, have hypertension, diabetes, severely high cholesterol or a strong family history of heart disease, I would never have checked this test at your age.  Why did your doc check it if he doesn't even place any value in it (as he probably should not in your case)?

None of the above.  My cholesterol is controlled and has been for a while. Was about 220.

Test was, I believe, an all inclusive "check the box" order from the lab .  I had requested a check up as I do every couple years since I run and have started training for an ultra which means more stress on the body.

Thanks for your insight.

The specific role of CRP on screening for heart disease among otherwise healthy patients remains unclear, and it is likewise unclear what to do with elevated values.  Info from the AHA here: "The true independent association between hs-CRP and new cardiovascular events hasn’t yet been established".

The idea of CRP is to try and have a simple blood test so you don't have to do a treadmill test or some other more invasive and expensive test.  I think CRP is not a good enough predictor to replace those better tests.  And if elevated, what are you going to do differently?  You are still going to try and eat right, exercise and watch your blood sugar and cholesterol, treating them if they climb.

Given YOUR significant family history and your current age, I would be talking with my doctor about more advanced screening methods (such as a treadmill test) and not rely on the CRP alone.

All I would add is that were you at intermediate risk  for heart disease (considering the factors Trent listed) it may have been wise to test your hs-CRP and your doc may have been persuaded by recent  FDA approval of a drug for just this situation.

Were you at risk and had high hs-CRP but your cholesterol was controlled enough to not need to be lowered by a statin, your doc may have been considering putting you on Crestor (rosuvastatin - it is a statin) which has just recently been approved by the FDA for a new indication - that is to lower cardiovascular risk in patients without high cholesterol but who have high hs-CRP. The breakthrough study supporting this (JUPITER) has been out for about a year now, but Astra Zeneca has just now garnered approval from FDA for use in this situation.

Anyways...maybe your MD is in cahoots with Astra Zeneca and looking for potential candidates....but again, if you weren't even considered at risk, then he shouldn't have taken the CRP it in the first place and i wouldn't worry too much about the level. They're not allowed to give out free pens anymore anyways...

Cheers!