breeisreallyawesome wrote:I finally got some blood test information back that was taken in March.. yes, March; and they're just now letting me know the results
Anyway, their main concerns were my Sed rate (32) and my C Reactive Protein level (27.7). Can anyone explain what these mean? What are the "normal" limits for these tests, and what do elevated Sed rate and C Reactive Proteins mean?
From LabCorp's site...
https://www.labcorp.com/wps/portal/provider/testmenu
Sedimentation Rate:
Reference Interval:
• Male: 0-50 years: 0-15 mm/hour, 50 years and older: 0-30 mm/hour
• Female: 0-50 years: 0-32 mm/hour, 50 years and older: 0-40 mm/hour
Use:
Evaluate the nonspecific activity of infections, inflammatory states, autoimmune disorders, and plasma cell dyscrasias.
Additional Information:
Elevations in fibrinogen, α- and β-globulins (acute phase reactants), and immunoglobulins increase the sedimentation rate of red cells through plasma. The test is important in the diagnosis of temporal arteritis, as well as its management.
C-Reactive Protein:
Reference Interval:
0.0-4.9 mg/L
Use:
CRP is an acute phase reactant, which can be used as a test for inflammatory diseases, infections, and neoplastic diseases. Progressive increases correlate with increases of inflammation/injury. CRP is a more sensitive, rapidly responding indicator than ESR. CRP may be used to detect early postoperative wound infection and to follow therapeutic response to anti-inflammatory agents. Recent reports have indicated that a highly sensitive version of the CRP assay may be used as an additional indicator for susceptibility to cardiac disease.
Limitations:
CRP arises as a nonspecific response to tissue injury and inflammation.
Additional Information:
CRP is a pentameric globulin with mobility near the γ zone. It is an acute phase reactant which rises rapidly, but nonspecifically in response to tissue injury and inflammation. It is particularly useful in detecting occult infections, acute appendicitis, particularly in leukemia and in postoperative patients. In uncomplicated postoperative recovery, CRP peaks on the third postop day, and returns to preop levels by day seven. It may also be helpful in evaluating extension or reinfarction after myocardial infarction, and in following response to therapy in rheumatic disorders. It may help to differentiate Crohn's disease (high CRP) from ulcerative colitis (low CRP), and rheumatoid arthritis (high CRP) from uncomplicated lupus (low CRP).
More info on CRP...
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2 ... #aw2aab6b3
Increased in:
Acute or chronic inflammatory conditions
Tissue necrosis or tissue injury
Ischemia or infarction of issues
Infection, inflammation
Metabolic syndrome
Malignant tumors especially of breast, lung and gastrointestinal tract
Acute pancreatitis
Post-surgery
Burn
Leukemia
Tobacco smoking
Hormone replacement therapy
Obesity
Decreased in:
Exercise, weight loss, moderate alcohol consumption, medications like statins, niacin and fibrates[1]