Blood tests known as 'inflammatory markers' can detect inflammation in the body, caused by many diseases including infections, auto-immune conditions and cancers. The tests don't identify what's causing the inflammation: it might be as simple as a viral infection, or as serious as cancer.
Based on visual observation, the ancients characterised inflammation by five cardinal signs, namely redness (rubor), swelling (tumour), heat (calor; only applicable to the body' extremities), pain (dolor) and loss of function (functio laesa).
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
This test works by measuring how long it takes for red blood cells to fall to the bottom of a test tube. The quicker they fall, the more likely it is there are high levels of inflammation.
The level of CRP increases when there's inflammation in the body. A simple blood test can check your C-reactive protein level. A high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test is more sensitive than a standard C-reactive protein test.
Inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and plasma viscosity (PV) are commonly used in primary care for diagnosis and monitoring of inflammatory conditions, including infections, autoimmune conditions, and cancers.
Our high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test (a simple at-home blood test for inflammation) can check the body for a key marker of inflammation, hs-CRP. Symptoms of chronic inflammation are often vague and may go undetected, but can include: Ongoing, Irritating Pain in Joints or Muscles.
Interpretation of CRP levels:
Less than 0.3 mg/dL: Normal (level seen in most healthy adults). 0.3 to 1.0 mg/dL: Normal or minor elevation (can be seen in obesity, pregnancy, depression, diabetes, common cold, gingivitis, periodontitis, sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, and genetic polymorphisms).
The most common way to measure inflammation is to conduct a blood test for C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), which is a marker of inflammation. Doctors also measure homocysteine levels to evaluate chronic inflammation. Finally, physicians test for HbA1C — a measurement of blood sugar — to assess damage to red blood cells.
The four cardinal signs of inflammation are redness (Latin rubor), heat (calor), swelling (tumor), and pain (dolor). Redness is caused by the dilation of small blood vessels in the area of injury.
Since the normal CRP level is generally less than 0.9 mg/dL, there's no such thing as a lower than normal CRP level. If you previously had a high CRP result and now have a lower result, it likely means your inflammation is decreasing and/or your treatment for the inflammation is working.
1. Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids , which are abundant in fatty fish such as salmon or tuna, are among the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements. These supplements may help fight several types of inflammation, including vascular inflammation.
It's important to remember that chronic inflammation doesn't happen overnight, so neither will reducing it. While you may start to feel relief in just 2 weeks, full healing can take between 3 and 6 months or longer, especially if you suffer from an anto-immune disease.
And you may not even know you have it. Most of us think of inflammation as the redness and swelling that follow a wound, infection or injury, such as an ankle sprain, or from overdoing a sport, “tennis elbow,” for example.
As the body gets flooded with these molecules during chronic inflammation, the cytokines actually begin to attack healthy joint and muscle tissue, resulting in pain, swelling, redness, and stiffness.
To fight inflammation, go for whole, unprocessed foods with no added sugar: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils), fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, a little bit of low-fat dairy, and olive oil. "To these, many people add herbs and spices like cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric.
Generally, a CRP level of less than 10 mg/L is considered normal. CRP levels between 10 and 100 mg/L indicate mild to moderate inflammation, while levels above 100 mg/L indicate severe inflammation.
Inflammation is a normal part of the body's defense to injury or infection, and, in this way, it is beneficial. But inflammation is damaging when it occurs in healthy tissues or lasts too long. Known as chronic inflammation, it may persist for months or years.
In summary, preliminary evidence suggests that acute and chronic stress is associated with increased inflammatory activity and enhanced attentional processing of negative information. Both are predictive of negative mood and depression symptoms that, in turn, increase inflammatory and cognitive stress reactivity.
It's Not Always Bad
Inflammation actually is good in the short run. It's part of your immune system's natural response to heal an injury or fight an infection. It's supposed to stop after that. But if it becomes a long-lasting habit in your body, that can be bad for you.
Normal Results
Normal CRP values vary from lab to lab. The levels often increase slightly with age, female sex and in African Americans. The majority of healthy adults have levels less than 0.3 mg/dL. However, a low CRP level does not always mean that there is no inflammation present.