C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

General Information

C-reactive protein (CRP) is the classic acute phase protein in inflammatory reactions. It is one of the first acute phase response proteins to become elevated in inflammatory disease and also exhibits the most dramatic increase in concentration. CRP is so called due to its ability to bind to the C-polysaccharide on the cell wall of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and is a glycoprotein with five identical polypeptide subunits synthesised in the liver. Once complexed, CRP becomes an activator of the complement pathway.

The concentration of CRP in serum rises dramatically after myocardial infarction, stress, trauma, infection, inflammation, surgery or neoplasic proliferation. The increase begins within 6 to 12 hours of the onset of the disorder and the concentration may reach up to 2000 times normal.

Determination of CRP is clinically useful for:

• Screening of organic disease
• Assessment of the activity of inflammatory disease
• Detection of intercurrent infections in systemic lupus erythematosus, in leukemia or after surgery
• Management of neonatal septicemia and meningitis when specimen collection for bacteriological investigations may be difficult.

Circulating concentrations of CRP may constitute an independent, albeit weak, risk factor for cardiovascular disease.