Just curious if anyone else has experienced this. Just got some recent bloodwork back, and it sounds like my markers are all up, with CRP really high.
At the same time, I don't feel that bad. Rheumy wants me to up my pred and maybe switch from my current drug (leflunomide) to something else.
I know it's not uncommon to have symptoms without elevated markers. How about the opposite?
Last year, a little over a year ago actually, I had rising CRP. I told my doctor at the time I felt okay. A bit later I got the highest CRP ever, even since before diagnosis. Around that time I began to feel not so great and before I knew it I was in fullblown flare mode. Took me a while to admit it and understand that a few days at a higher dose wasn't going to cut it. Months later CRP declined again and last test in December it was the lowest it's ever been! But my daily dose is still a bit higher than it was before this adventure began. I'm actually nervous about tapering further after all the ups and downs over the past year, so will go very very slowly and tentatively. So, yes, my CRP rocketed up while I was still feeling not bad at all. The year before, 2020, I had hurt both my knees in different accidents and these were finally getting better right around the time CRP soared. I do not know if there was a connection. The knee issue had been going on for a very long time previously so I don't think there was a direct connection, but maybe the ongoing lifestyle changes caused by injury and pandemic did have an effect,
I had crp done about6 weeks ago, came back slightly raised although I’d had no pain or symptoms at all. The gp said crp can be raised due to causes other than pmr. I had had a cold/ virus a couple of weeks previously so maybe that was the cause. Who knows.
Hi, I have GCA and about a two months ago I'd been to the rheumy, feeling about the same with just a few easy headaches. Neither one of us was concerned but he sent me to the lab for bloodwork. My numbers were really elevated and he called within an hour (we were at a restaurant) and told me to go from 15mg to 40mg.....my vote is trust the numbers especially because you can have an issue with normal readings. I'd go with elevating. Best to you💕
I think the point is that all kinds of ailments can elevate your inflammation levels, even the common cold. I would say that symptoms trump the blood tests. Mind you “ really high” is odd. My PMR morphed into GCA/LVV and the symptoms were diffuse, vaguely unwell and aching. So I think I would bow to a medically trained brain, counter intuitive as it might be.
I have consistently high CRP. My GP usually says “satisfactory” on my notes when I have blood tests even though it is around 40 to 50 most of the time. If it goes over 100 he normally says something though. I don't take any DMARDs just pred.
I have my inflammation markers tested every 5 weeks consistent with my tapering schedule (DL’s) and they are consistently out of range, eg most recently CRP 21 and ESR 35. Both GPs at the surgery say we treat the symptoms not the blood results and expect me to keep reducing Pred. which is currently in transition from 4.5 to 4 mg. More blood tests next week, then in 3 weeks I will start transitioning to 3.5 mg. The doctors incentivise me by saying I should continue taking Risedronate until I’m off corticosteroids.
Have you been doing/experiencing anything else? Like exercise, injury and bruising or a chest infection? Something you can't know is how the sample was treated - either poor technique taking the blood sample or lack of care transporting it can result in raised values because the substances in the red blood cells leak into the plasma where they are measures.
The correct procedure is to repeat the bloods in a week and establish if there is a trend. If it is rising andor you have symptoms - up the pred, if it is falling, relax.
Thanks all. Couple of comments in follow-up:
- Nothing else is going on - infection, injury, etc.
- I'm all about the numbers, but at the same time all about the symptoms too. It was never a question of what to trust for me. This is just the first time they haven't coincided, and am more curious than anything.
- I am getting retested again in a few weeks. We shall see.
Thanks again!
question re blood markers
Inflammatory markers ESR CRT
infection interfering with marker numbers 
Follow up with the doctor. Markers down but still in pain 
Markers up
