CRP at 5.6

[PMRHortons]

Hi, does anyone know how high CRP at 5.6 is I know the normal limit is below 5 but have no idea how high it has to go before it’s a worry. I’m going for a PET scan on Wednesday and see the consultant on Thursday should I be worried? I have PMR GCA

[Yellowbluebell]

From what I can see online under 3 is good under 10 means some inflammation and above 10 is a lot of inflammation. Remember that is a general figure and some people on here never have high markers although they most definitely have pmr! Hope this helps

[PMRHortons in reply to Yellowbluebell]

Thanks

[piglette]

I don't think my CRP has ever been as low as 5.6. Last week it was 101 and my GP did think that was a bit high. It normally hovers around the 20 mark.

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

Good god. If Dr hadn't thought it high I would have been complaining!!!

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

The highest it has been is 415 after my hip op. The GP reckons it is because I am sensitive. He has been checking for cancer recently and thyroid, but has not found any reason for the way my CRP leaps up yet.

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

Crikey blimey! 52 is the highest I went. I hope 415 didn't equate with how you felt. If it did you are one tough cookie 😱

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

I actually felt fine and was very annoyed as I had to hang around in hospital for a couple of days until it reduced to one hundred and something having doubled my pred dose. Perhaps the GP is right I am just a sensitive little flower!!

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

😂😂😂 it just shows clearly that you can have massively raised CRP and feel "ok" and have under normal and feel terrible. Bodies are funny things.

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

I must admit I would like to know why it suddenly leaps up every so often. I suppose the upside is I now have had loads of negative tests so I now know I don’t have those problems!

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

That is an upside after those numbers.

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

Just wastes a lot of time having various tests!!

[SheffieldJane]

All kinds of things can send it up. I have an upper respiratory tract infection. I expect it is sky high. Good luck with your PET scan. Let us know how you go.

[Thelmarina in reply to SheffieldJane]

Rotten - so lowering. Hope you feel better soon 🌺

[bunnymom in reply to SheffieldJane]

Hope you recover quickly 💐

[Devoid]

Hi ,can I ask you how much pred are you taking, I am having a pet scan but have been told I need to get down to 10 pred which will be a very quick taper , negative temporal biopsy 2 weeks ago after 11 days of pred

[PMRHortons in reply to Devoid]

I am not on any at the moment, I’m waiting for PET scan before starting treatment. All very painful at the moment

[Devoid in reply to PMRHortons]

Sorry to hear that,saw on your earlier post re pet scan , my consultant said they were the best option to investigate any vascular problems as well as their use for cancer.

[mad-country-lover in reply to Devoid]

Hi Devoid

I had a PET scan back in May and was told to obtain a clear reading I had to reduce down to 5 mg of pred per day for 6 days leading up to the scan, any thing over that would interfere with the results.

I did it but with the help of Opium pain killers.

good luck take care

[Devoid in reply to mad-country-lover]

Hi thanks for your response, definitely helps when you can see others in similar situations

[moreau]

Hi, my crp was over 300 at its worst, don’t think the docs are concerned if it’s under 10 x good luck with scan

[Janstr]

My CRP was 68 when I was diagnosed with GCA.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

There are people who have had levels in triple figures as they have told you. But it is less the absolute level that is important but whether there is a rising trend to be identified over a few weeks.

[PMRHortons in reply to PMRpro]

It has gone from 1 in November to 4 in April 4.4 in May and now 5.6. Along with significant increases in the level of pain. Pet scan tomorrow then specialist on Thursday.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to PMRHortons]

Which shows there is developing/increasing inflammation - but the symptoms are telling you that anyway. The actual figure is less important or significant. People can be totally "stuck" with PMR and have low normal levels - people can have biopsy confirmed GCA and still have normal levels. People can have massively high levels and not be that unwell and repond dramatically to a low dose of pred. It is just part of the overall picture.

[Rimmy in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks for clarifying that PMRpro I was just thinking the same - probably gleaned from what you have said previously - that it seems like a very 'individual' thing so that rising numbers are significant relative to your own initial markers etc. Mine was never very high even at the outset with PMR/GCA but it did go up a little when I had both of my 'flares'.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Rimmy]

Exactly.

[PMRHortons in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks to every for your responses, I have found them to be reassuring at what is a worrying time for me

[Thelmarina]

I always annoyed my children, (and now my grandchildren!) by saying ‘sharing is caring and caring is love’ - and it is! ❤️

[PMRHortons in reply to Thelmarina]

Thank you

[Telian]

Don’t think you’ve anything to worry about with a CRP of 5.6.

I got my latest results yesterday and CRP is 6. GP says it should be below 5 but not worried with that reading. My Rheumie also doesn’t worry as long as it’s under 10 - he says. Some have much higher readings than ours!

[GCA1947]

Hi, I was told by previous practice G.P.that 0-5 was normal, anything above 5 was not.

1st G.P. at this new practice said few of my patients get below 5 but didn't say what she found acceptable

Current G.P. says if he thinks the blood test is normal that is what he writes on blood test reports, not quite sure what he would have made of me when I was diagnosed at 85 ESR & 155 CRP in 2014. He writes Acceptable or Satisfactory when my results are above the highest limit even though the laboratory reports my results as Above High Limit. I know I am above the limit because I'm battling a skin infection and they always push up my readings., currently 14. See if you can print off the Lab. report showing your 5.6 reading providing you have SystemOnLine of course. I only have G.C.A., the knowledgeable ones then read the report and draw their own conclusions. I would have said that 5.6 was very low almost normal.

Colin

[suzy1959]

Are you having a PET scan to confirm the diagnosis?

I was very glad to have one as no one wanted to diagnose PMR as I was 'atypical". Even Prof. Dasgupta didn't think I had PMR. He had to eat his words when it confirmed the inflammation in all the appropriate places.

I actually didn't decrease my Pred. at all to have the scan and was probably on 10mgs or over as I have never been lower than this anyway. It does make me wonder if my inflammation levels are generally quite high, so showed through. My ESR and CRP have hardly ever gone back down to normal even when on Pred.

[PMRHortons in reply to suzy1959]

Yes and no the PMR and GCA have been diagnosed previously, now he suspects I have RA as I have pain in all my joints except my back and for some reason my feet.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to suzy1959]

If you get a positive result while on 10mg the inflammation is obviously breaking through and not being controlled by the pred. Which I imagine means if you have symptoms, a PET scan would be positive. But not as positive as if you weren't on pred ...

[Blurry62]

Good Morning,

You are going to realize very quickly among physicianas opinions regarding everything GCA---are very diverse and flummoxing. CRP levels are no exception. I was diagnosed Feb. 2018 and have never had inflammation markers higher than 13--which all three of my doctors consider quite normal: at the onset of GCA doctor #1 said, you are too young for GCA, and blood tests support this conclusion. They were looking for something in the 60-70 range. Two days later, the biopsy: Giant Cell Arteritis. What I read from MAYO Clinic and Johns Hopkins says the blood work isn't reliable in determining inflammation in the body. I'm not a medical scientist/researcher--I don't understand this but, it's been true in my case. We can be very ill with inflammation markers within an acceptable range.

[Jennykk]

Can I ask why you are having a PET scan?

My CRP hasn't got lower than 15 in 4 years, started at 58. I'm on the lowest pred dose I've managed so far which is 2 mg and feeling hopeful but getting a few pains back...

[PMRHortons in reply to Jennykk]

PET scan is because specialist thinks I have RA in addition to previously diagnosed PMRGCA