CRP Blood Results

[Anne-54]

Has anyone experienced yo-yoing CRP blood results. I have RA and in May my CRP was 9, the end of June's was 13. It seems to do this all the time and yet, I don't feel any different as in I don't seem to have any more or less inflammation. Not sure if the dmards are supposed to eventually give you a steady reading. If that makes any sense

[Livingston]

CRP can vary hugely and is a fairly crude measure of the overall amount of inflammation/infection someone has. It can double in a matter of hours if you have a serious infection and will tend to vary a bit over time even there's nothing specific going on. (As will other blood results.) Although successful treatment of active disease will tend to lower CRP, the reduction of this number is not a specific goal of treatment. It will happen alongside that treatment working.

Decisions to change treatment/investigate further might be made in the light of CRP suddenly shooting up or because of an ongoing upward trend over a series of measurements but it's very unlikely to be the only factor taken into account.

It's important to remember that your blood numbers are a snapshot of how things were at the moment the blood was taken and they can vary a bit over time, just like your mood does, without that necessarily meaning that anything is wrong. If you are feeling well controlled, that's much more important than small fluctuations. 13 is slightly out of the 'normal' range but not in scary territory for someone who is likely to have a certain level of inflammation going on at any given time because of their RD.

If it worries you, chat to your GP.

[Anne-54 in reply to Livingston]

Thank you Livingston for explaining that, it makes perfect sense explained like this. It's just in the past, because it does yo yo then my rheumy starts looking at adding another Dmard in, which I don't want.

[helixhelix]

Over time you get to know what's normal for you, and what your range is. My CRP dropped like a stone soon after starting the drugs and has stayed stable ever since except when I'm having a bad time when it will rise 3 or 4 points. However I know others whose CRP never a drops below about 15 and fluctuates far more, maybe 20 points or so, without them feeling much different.

[davannh in reply to helixhelix]

That is such a small fluctuation and it is quite normal for this blood result to move a few points with controlled RA. I think the time to worry is when it rises dramatically. Before treatment with Tocilizumab my CRP was often in three figures.

[Anne-54]

Thank you for all your replies, at least its put my mind at rest that all this is normal

[Hidden]

Yes, my CRP was all over the place and it didn't reflect my symptoms. The. I found a lot of other health providers who questioned the value of the CRP in monitoring RD's. I just took it in stride and didn't focus much on the CRP although the Rheumatologist seems to.

[Anne-54 in reply to Hidden]

Yes my Rheum seems to concentrate on the CRP. I have wondered whether my lymphoedema makes it go up and down, after all it is inflammation, and it does fluctuate.

[Hidden]

There are many things to consider when you are dealing with RA or any of the RD's. Hard to know what the answer is and it seems like there are so many different perspectives and treatment protocols that it is hard to be convinced by any one of them. It is very much trial and error.

I kept track of some of the major symptoms in relation to my activities and meds and now after a year I am trying to concentrate on what I can do, not the famous 'functional limitations'. I have found regular visits to the physio at the arthritis centre the most helpful in ratifying what I am feeling and helping to guide my activity and exercise plans throughout the year.

Sounds like you are going through a lot with lymphoedema and RA. Take care and be kind to yourself.. Doreen