crp blood test

[Stephenie.welch]

I'm so scared I don't know what to do. Dr doesn't seem too worried but my crp is 8.9 should be below 4 if it was cancer would It be higher ? I can't take anymore she said it's nonspecific inflammation but I heard cancer can cause high crp has anyone had this? Please please reply

[Gary A]

I'm so scared I don't know what to do. Dr doesn't seem too worried but my crp is 8.9 should be below 4 if it was cancer would It be higher ? I can't take anymore she said it's nonspecific inflammation but I heard cancer can cause high crp has anyone had this? Please please reply

For cancer to even be a remote possibility, a CRP level has to be greater than 10mg. Anything under 10mg is indeed nonspecific, and in fact doesn't really indicate much of anything.

Doctors know what they're talking about with things like this. If they're not concerned, neither should you be.

[tiredofthis14]

if it makes u feel better mine is currently 21 doc isnt concerned

[Stephenie.welch]

Thanks guys just can't stop panicking. I'm not sick and I have back pain but only during activity. I'm also very overweight (embarrassing but true) and my esr was 19 normal is 0 to 20

[Fishmanpa]

Stephanie,

In the last 8 months you've thought you had no less than 6 different types of cancer, a pulmonary embolism and Lyme disease, none of which is the reality. What is reality is your health anxiety.

The forum is great in that you know you're not alone and it can be cathartic to write out your thoughts and fears but it's not a substitute for real life help and support. What are you currently doing to treat your real illness?

Positive thoughts

[Stephenie.welch]

You're right fish. I'm at, probably the worst I've been in my life with health anxiety. I recently upped my Celexa to 40 instead of 20 and I'm getting therapy so, trying to help myself but results like this just pull me down all over again.

[Shazamataz]

I have Crohn's Disease so have a lot of experience with CRP tests. When I first had a flare up and was diagnosed my CRP was nearly 200!

After treatment and ongoing I had regular tests and they were always happy with it being under 10.

There are many reasons for it to be raised a little that don't involve cancer. Any sort of inflammation can raise it, maybe even from your sore back?

[Gary A]

I have Crohn's Disease so have a lot of experience with CRP tests. When I first had a flare up and was diagnosed my CRP was nearly 200!

After treatment and ongoing I had regular tests and they were always happy with it being under 10.

There are many reasons for it to be raised a little that don't involve cancer. Any sort of inflammation can raise it, maybe even from your sore back?

There's still a bit of a dispute amongst the medical world as to whether numbers in the lower regions even signal anything at all. Obviously up the hundreds, yeah there's something happening, but in the tens often throws up absolutely nothing at all. Some doctors argue that these types of readings are pointless as it often involves a patient going through quite invasive tests which rarely find anything that was causing harm to begin with.

It's one of the reasons doctors don't give MRI scans without good reason. They can and do show up subclinical abnormalities that were never harming the patient but require investigation upon discovery.

[Shazamataz]

There's still a bit of a dispute amongst the medical world as to whether numbers in the lower regions even signal anything at all. Obviously up the hundreds, yeah there's something happening, but in the tens often throws up absolutely nothing at all. Some doctors argue that these types of readings are pointless as it often involves a patient going through quite invasive tests which rarely find anything that was causing harm to begin with.

It's one of the reasons doctors don't give MRI scans without good reason. They can and do show up subclinical abnormalities that were never harming the patient but require investigation upon discovery.

You're right. After a couple of years (this was maybe 6 years ago when it started) they stopped doing CRP tests as they didn't consider them very useful.

[Stephenie.welch]

Thank y'all so very much. It's scary to me because it didn't go down when they checked it again today after last week it's around the same.

[Sparkling_Fairy]

My GP once said he doesn't worry about a number below 50.
Honestly could mean anything. But like many people here said, if it was bad it would be way higher

[Stephenie.welch]

Thanks for all the replies my last question is my rheumatoid factor was also a little elevated? Is that non specific also?

[Fishmanpa]

If there was the potential for an issue, your GP would discuss it with you. Best to not fixate of readings that are a "little" out of the "norm". Not everyone falls into those categories.

Positive thoughts