IMMUNOLOGY
PAGE EXPIRES: June 2000
SYNONYMS: CRP, Acute phase reactant
COMPONENT TESTS: None (single test)
SCHEDULE: Twice weekly; turnaround time: 7 working days
SPECIMEN AND COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS:
CAUSES FOR REJECTION: Improperly labeled specimen; plasma; hemolysis, lipemia, or turbidity
STORAGE AND SHIPPING: Refrigerated
USES: For the evaluation and monitoring of multiple inflammatory/necrotic processes.
NORMAL VALUES: Negative (no agglutination of CRP)
METHOD: Latex agglutination
DESCRIPTION AND COMMENTS: C-reactive protein is an acute phase reactant synthesized in the liver as a non-specific immune response to inflammatory processes, cellular necrosis, or malignancy. Since an elevated CRP is always associated with pathological changes, its determination is of value for the purposes of diagnosis, therapy, and monitoring the course of inflammatory diseases. It usually completely disappears after recovery. It is nearly always found in bacterial and acute viral infections, rheumatic fever, acute myocardial infarction, autoimmune disease (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, lupus), metastatic malignancy, and up to 4 days following uncomplicated surgery.
Heavily lipemic sera are to be excluded from the test, since they can cause non-specific reactions. The same applies to plasma, in which fibrinogen may cause a non-specific agglutination of the latex particles. Levels of CRP are frequently elevated in normal pregnancy, in patients on oral contraceptives and in patients over 60 years of age.