| C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is a marker of acute-phase response in which serum levels of CRP increase rapidly after tissue injury, infection or other inflammatory processes. CRP is produced by the liver and is normally present at very low levels. Following acute trauma or infection, CRP is rapidly synthesized by hepatocytes in response to cytokines released into circulation by activated leukocytes. This acute inflammation-dependent response can lead to a 1000-fold or greater increase in serum CRP levels.
CRP comprises five non-covalently bound subunits forming a discord of 105 kDa molecular weight. CRP, a pentraxin family protein, is noteworthy because of the speed and degree to which its concentrations increase after a variety of inflammatory responses and injuries to tissue. Serum concentrations of CRP increase rapidly after stimulation and then decrease rapidly with a short half-life. [1,2] Determination of serum CRP aids in the monitoring of the amount of injury to body tissue.
Quantitative measurement of CRP in serum has been found to be useful in the evaluation of a variety of conditions such as, myocardial infarction, bacterial infection, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, acute appendicitis [3] and atherosclerosis [4]. Additionally, CRP levels have recently been found to be a predictive factor for cardiovascular events [5, 6] and peripheral vascular disease [4].
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- Ridker PM, et al. N Engl J Med 342(12): 836-43, 2000.
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