crp blood test

[tracey65]

hi can any one tell me if a level of 26.5 crp blood is acceptable and esr of 12 im curious as im always in pain and always told that my bloods are fine and i dont feel fine.

[bowler]

Hi

Your ESR is in range at 12 [ 3-15 ] your CRP is high at 26.5 [ 6 ]

My ESR was only 8 but I was having a bad flare of GCA. so had to go on a higher dose of Prednisolone, so it's a case of treating the symptoms not the number.

[friz42 in reply to bowler]

Hi bowler- when you were first diagnosed was your esr and crp raised though? Mine are in range but not diagnosed yet. So you can have a flare and still be in range. Do the specialists at the hospitals appreciate this may happen. This is so concerning as I am being dismissed dispite having anca mpo positive and R Factor out of range- esr and crp in range- but I am sure high for me when feeling well- GP keeps trying to give me pain relief which does not work at all.

[tracey65 in reply to friz42]

i can sympathise thats the trouble im having i keep getting told its not the vasculitis as im in remission even tho i have swelling and pain

[bowler]

I was diagnosed 14 years ago with GCA. aged only 54. I also have PMR

When first diagnosed my ESR was only in the mid 40s. [ I cant remember what the CRP was ]

I saw my Rheumatologist last week who said " you CAN have a flare with normal blood levels" like I said " mine was only 8 "

I'm sorry I dont know much about your other blood tests, anca etc., as this didn't apply to me with GCA/PMR. so I'm not familiar with the the other forms of vasculitis, however I'm sure there are plenty on this site who can advise you.

Are you waiting for a referal to see a specialist for a diagnosis ?

[tracey65 in reply to bowler]

no i see specialists i have wg for 14 yrs now just feel there not listening to what im telling them im 48 rubbish isnt it

[bowler in reply to tracey65]

It's a pity you cant get another Dr's opinion .

I was lucky I had a good Rheumatologist [ I can't understand why GCA is treated by a Rhumatologist !!]

However my GP of 28 years has retired from our village surgery, and the new Dr. I saw hadn't got a clue about my condition, and refused to up my dose of steroids with this recent flare, I had to call my hospital in Cambridge to explain the situation as I was running low on my reserves of steroids, I got an appointment within 4 days, and they wasn't impressed with the lack of treatment fom the GP. and is sending a letter to the surgery.

It's a battle isn't it.

[tracey65 in reply to bowler]

i take it you go to addenbrooks is that near you or do you choose to travel there

[bowler in reply to tracey65]

Addenbrooks is my nearest hospital, although it's just over 20 miles away.

[Nadine99]

Crp of 26.5 is definitely not normal

[tracey65 in reply to Nadine99]

thankyou

[PMRpro]

The hospital it is done at will state their normal range on the report - different hospitals have different ranges because of the various ways they do the test.

However, by any standards your ESR is in the "normal range" - but that doesn't mean it is "normal" for you. The range for ESR is accepted to be up to about 30 or so - and it is believed to increase from birth when it is zero to about 55 when 33 is perceived as normal. That said - my normal in my 50s, and now 60s, is 4 (four!) and even at the worst I was it never went above 7. A young person with a reading of 30 would be accepted to have a raised reading - but even that is variable.

I have polymyalgia rheumatica, a large vessel vasculitis, and about 1 in 6 patients with it (and GCA which is related) have "normal" acute phase reactants (the posh medical description for ESR and CRP). What it means is that they react to inflammation in your body so they indicate something is wrong - but they are very general and can be raised if you have a urinary tract infection, a cold or even in pregnancy! They just confirm there is SOMETHING going on and it needs investigating - the clinical picture should be more important.

Unfortunately there is a generation of doctors who were brought alongside the rapidly expanding hospital laboratory services and have a touching faith in the biochemical results you can get from blood tests. Some ARE written in stone - like sodium, potassium, calcium, but many others can vary quite a bit from person to person.

It is known that, as bowler says, you can flare without the ESR and CRP being high - it often lags behind for some reason. Not all rheumys agree with that - I know someone who's been telling her rheumy her RA was flaring for months. After 6 months the bloods are starting to rise - and he tells he she's flaring!

[tracey65 in reply to PMRpro]

thankyou thats proberly why they think things are fine then im just not being listened to of how i feel

[PMRpro in reply to tracey65]

Can you see a different GP? I assume it is the GP who's not taking you seriously? I spent 5 years with polymyalgia rheumatica (a large vessel vasculitis) undiagnosed because of normal bloods despite an otherwise typical clinical history. Had I seen a different GP in or practice she would have recognised it . I actually also had bother with an arrogant rheumy because he wanted it to be something even nastier but I was about to move abroad anyway and the docs here are quite happy it is PMR and nothing worse.