What Infections Cause High CRP? Check Now

Bacterial infections can damage your tissues and cells or even cause sepsis. Sepsis is a severe health condition when your immune system overreacts to an injury or illness. This bacterial infection can make your body inflamed. 

Your liver produces C-reactive protein (CRP) that helps your body respond to inflammation. This protein in your body also defends against damaged tissue, nuclear antigens, and certain pathogens. 

A high CRP level indicates inflammation. But what infections cause high CRP? Let’s go through it. 

What is CRP? 

C-reactive protein, or CRP, is produced by your liver when you experience inflammation. This protein can also respond to injuries, infections, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and cancer. RA is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain, stiffness, or swelling. 

A high CPR level in the blood rises during inflammatory conditions. This instant boost in CRP helps identify inflammation and monitor the treatment process.

The CRP test helps detect inflammation and plan its treatment. It also monitors the progress of an inflammatory condition. 

Read to know more about CRP: https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/heart-test/crp-test-what-is-crp-test-what-levels-of-crp-are-dangerous/ 

What Bacterial Infections Cause High CRP? 

Experts consider low CRP levels in the blood normal. However, moderate to high CRP levels can indicate inflammation, infection, or any inflammatory condition. 

Pneumonia is a bacterial infection causing high CRP levels. In bacterial infections, CRP levels are usually over 50 mg/dL. A high CRP level can sometimes reach 100 or 200 mg/dL. 

Injury, chronic disease, influenza virus, adenovirus, and other bacterial infections can also cause high levels of CRP.

Hs-CRP vs CRP 

People often consider the Hs-CRP test and CRP test to be the same test. However, Hs-CRP is a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and CRP is a C-reactive protein, and both have different purposes. 

The CRP test measures higher levels of CRP to locate diseases or infections that cause inflammation. Meanwhile, the Hs-CRP test measures lower levels of CRP, which locates the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. 

The Hs-CRP test is more sensitive than the standard CRP test, detecting even slight increases in CRP levels. 

Reasons for high levels of hs-CRP include: 

• Atherosclerosis
• Diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Redcliffe Labs, an omnichannel Pan India diagnostics service provider, offers both the Hs-CRP and CRP tests. The tests require a blood sample and measure CRP levels in the blood, locating inflammation and cardiovascular diseases in the body. 

Understanding the CRP Test Results 

CRP is a protein your liver produces in response to the bacterial infection caused. CRP test results can be high, low, moderate, or normal. 

There is no standard reference range for CRP, so there is no conclusive evidence of CRP levels. This is because various factors can contribute and make it challenging to interpret CRP levels. 

Factors include: 

• Injury or infection: Injuries can exfoliate the CRP levels and conceal potential health conditions such as irritable bowel disorder, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. 
• Lifestyle: People who follow a sedentary lifestyle, smoke, do little exercise, or are obese may have high CRP reactive protein. 
• Estrogen Levels: Certain medicines, such as birth control pills and hormone replacement medications, can increase estrogen levels, leading to high CRP levels. 
• Pregnancy- Women who are pregnant can have high CRP, especially during the third trimester. 
• Chronic Health Condition: Certain health conditions, including autoimmune disease, can cause inflammation, which can lead to high CRP. 

Normal Range of CRP Levels 

Here is a breakdown of the normal range of CRP levels. These include: 

CRP Level (mg/dL)	Interpretation
Less than 1	Low risk of cardiovascular disease
1-3	Average risk
3-10	Moderate risk
More than 10	High risk

What is the Meaning of High CRP? 

The meaning of High CRP is simple, when your body has a serious health condition that can cause inflammation. 

The table shows the level of CRP, which can indicate the severity of the inflammation. 

High CRP Level	Interpretation
10-40 mg/L	Moderate infection such as respiratory infection or chickenpox
More than 40 mg/L	Indicate a more serious bacterial infection
More than 200 mg/L	Indicate septicemia (a very serious and potentially life-threatening situation).

Also, read https://redcliffelabs.com/myhealth/blood-test/crp-normal-range-how-much-crp-level-is-dangerous-c-reactive-protein-level-chart/ 

High CRP Causes

A high CRP cause can happen because of several health conditions, such as: 

• Rheumatoid Arthritis 
• Rheumatic Fever 
• Pancreatitis 
• Lupus 
• Bronchitis 
• Heart Attack
• Infection 
• Cancer 
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) 

Obesity, smoking, inactive lifestyle, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and high cholesterol are some other risk factors contributing to the cause of high CRP levels. 

What Infections Cause High CRP? 

A high CRP can indicate numerous infections. These include: 

• Viral Infections 
• Urinary Tract Infections 
• Bacterial Infections 
• Arthritis 
• Pelvic inflammatory disease 
• Autoimmune disease (lupus and rheumatoid arthritis) 
• Osteomyelitis 
• Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis)

High CRP Symptoms 

Symptoms of high CRP depend on your underlying health condition. You may experience different high CRP symptoms ranging from moderate to acute. 

Moderate-High CRP symptoms include:

• Chronic pain 
• Unexplained exhaustion 
• Muscle stiffness, weakness, and soreness
• Low-grade fever
• Chills 
• Headaches 
• Nausea 
• Loss of appetite 
• Indigestion 
• Unexplained weight loss 
• Insomnia or difficulty sleeping

Acute CRP symptoms include: 

• High fever 
• Rapid heart rate 
• Difficulty breathing 
• Rash or hives 
• Parched lips, skin, and mouth
• Severe headache
• Body pain
• Stiffness or soreness in the body
• Loss of consciousness
• Uncontrollable or frequent vomiting or diarrhea 
• Uncontrollable sweating, shaking, or chills 
• Dizziness or lightheadedness 

Is There a Need for Follow-up? 

A high CRP-level compilation depends on its complications and severity. Very high levels indicate a sign of a medical emergency. If your results indicate very high CRP levels, seek medical consultation. 

Your doctor can also recommend additional tests, follow-up testing in 1-2 months, and monitoring for other symptoms. 

Your doctor can look at your health history and current symptoms, which can help diagnose and treat. 

FAQs 

Ques1 What level of C-reactive protein is dangerous? 

Ans1 Doctors recommend a range higher than 50 mg/dL as dangerous. This level is considered concerning, as it can be as severe as acute bacterial infection. 

Ques2 What infection causes high CRP? 

Ans2 Pneumonia is a bacterial infection that causes a high CRP level. However, other viral respiratory diseases, such as adenovirus and influenza, contribute to high CRP. 

The Bottom Line 

Doctors can use CRP tests to determine your CRP levels. Experts say low CRP levels are normal, whereas high CRP levels indicate underlying health conditions.

You should consult a healthcare professional if you experience unnoticed or sudden life symptoms. 

They may recommend taking the CRP or Hs-CRP test to evaluate your condition and reduce the risk of serious health complications. Redcliffe Labs offers both these tests at an affordable price with a home sample collection service. Take the test and prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases.