CRP high, AA/EPA low
Last Updated Aug 2007
Q: I recently had blood tests done. My AA/EPA done by your recommended lab was only
1.1. However, my CRP taken at the same time was high at 1.9. I thought that CRP
was a rough measure of systemic inflammation, and AA/EPA was the better test. Why
the big difference?
A: CRP is a non-specific marker of inflammation and can rise dramatically with
infection to levels approaching 1000. You may have had a mild sub-chronic
infection that increased the CRP levels. This is why CRP levels can wildly vary
from test to test, whereas the AA/EPA is invariant to the presence of transient
infections.