1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Cardiovascular Disorders

Elevated hs-CRP levels—very scary, help?

Posted , 1 user is following.

maddy45671
maddy45671

Hello,

I am a 22 year old female, and back in July, my general practice doctor tested my hs-CRP levels, as i've always had some concerns/anxiety surrounding my heart. She called me a few days later and told me my hs-CRP levels were "a little high", but said she was confident they would go down with diet and exercise (i've always been overweight, since I was a kid). I went to a cardiologist in December to settle my fears over my heart, and he tested my hs-CRP again. He told me in July, my level was 7.57. His test probed significantly lower, at 4.28.

They did an echo and a 24 hr holter monitor and told me everything looked fine, and no further testing was needed. They even said my hs-CRP was still a little high, but didn't mention anything else about it.

I have severe anxiety and know that elevated hs-CRP is an indicator for inflammation in the heart. I have arthritis in my back and knees, as well as some other bone structure issues. I also have chiari malformation type 1 that I am set to have surgery for on the 25th.

I am no longer living out of fear of sudden cardiac arrest or heart attack. It controls every aspect of my life. I am in the doctors office every week, and they regularly tell me i'm fine.

Does anyone know anything about elevated hs-CRP that can give me any insight? Do elevated numbers always mean something is wrong with my heart?

thank you in advance.

0 likes, 1 reply

1 Reply

  • kendubs
    kendubs maddy45671

    Posted

    Hi, I'm a lab technician (i.e. the guy that actually does your blood tests). CRP doesn't actually have anything to do with the heart whatsoever. It's ONLY a marker of inflammation and so it goes up if you have an infection, or with a lot of chronic conditions (arthritis, for example 😉 ) and obesity. High levels CORRELATE with risk of heart disease, but it's not a CAUSE. It's so unimportant and nonspecific to the heart that it doesn't even form part of your GPs typical risk assessment for cardiovascular disease (you can assess your risk yourself online by looking up QRISK or searching for the NHS 'Check your heart age' tool).

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.