I’m confused 😕

[ThyroidObsessed]

Isn’t the serum C reactive protein meant to be raised when we have an autoimmune disease like hashimotos?

mine isn’t 🤔

Or is it just the TPO that is raised?

Thanks in advance for any help with this…

[SlowDragon Administrator]

CRP is test for inflammation

Eg if had cold, flu, Covid etc

So no not necessarily raised

[ThyroidObsessed in reply to SlowDragon]

In the explanation article from the NHS it says its to test for autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and others !??

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to ThyroidObsessed]

I think the wording of explanations leaves something to be desired. They need to add that CRP isn't always raised in every patient solely because they have an autoimmune disease. It is not a test where a negative result implies anything - it doesn't say you do not have an autoimmune disease.

Over the years, several diseases have been classified as autoimmune, then not, then back to autoimmune, etc. A classic is multiple sclerosis. If a CRP test were able to distinguish, that would not have happened.

CRP can rise and fall.

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests...

[radd in reply to ThyroidObsessed]

ThyroidObsessed

High CRP indicates an inflammatory disorder but you can have an autoimmune condition and not necessarily have high CRP because it depends which part and by what degree of the immune system remains dysregulated.

Hashi sufferers (or people suffering from RA or PA) often have inflammation in their bodies due to a cytokines reaction such as interleukin-1, interleukin-6. These interleukins are messenger proteins broken down from T- Helper cells (in Hashi usually TH-1 & TH-2) which are immune messenger proteins responsible for carrying out the biological effects of the immune system, and must be in balance for us to remain well.

My own observations also refer to those who lymphocytes (WBC's) become low and thyroid antibodies all but disappear. Conventional medicine has no explanation but functional medicine will say this part of the immune system has simply worn out through years of an internal ravaging. Therefore, one could assume low CRP in this instance is because the forces that usually drive it are low/non existent themselves.