Why elevated CRP is dangerous?

C-reactive protein, also known as CRP, is the protein that can gauge if there is an inflammation in the body and the walls of your arteries. You may never have heard of CRP and therefore ask why CRP is dangerous? The CRP level has been directly associated with heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, disease of the arteries and cancer.

Systemic or entire body inflammation directly affects the arteries and can allow the build up plaque. The plaque slows the blood flow and can build up to such a degree that a clot can form. If the clot dislodges and enters the blood stream it can kill. There are positive types of inflammation that your body needs in the healing process. Just think about the last time you had a small cut. The redness that developed eventually went away as the body healed the cut.

Elevated CRP levels have been called the silent killer because there are often no symptoms to indicate a problem. If you are within an age or lifestyle group that may be at risk for artery disease, heart attack or stroke, your physician may have ordered the CRP level test. It’s a simple test and is used as the gold standard to get a direction for your specific situation. Doctors have been using the CRP test for years, because the studies have all shown that there is a link with the CRP level and heart disease. Other types of tests are usually done, but when they discovered the CRP level link, it was like the ah-ha to their own question. They made the assumption that they had found the answer.

If your physician has found that your CRP level is elevated, the usual way it’s handled in the United States is to prescribe drugs. While the drugs might address the CRP situation, the side effects may cause other disorders and you will then have to take additional drugs. Does any of this sound like the pharmaceutical companies are the only ones benefiting?

If you have the semblance of an answer to the question why elevated CRP is dangerous, and you are against adding medication to your regiment, what other options do you have? To begin with it’s pretty much common sense. Something we hear all the time and many people ignore. A healthy diet with lots of fiber, a good amount of exercise, quit smoking, stop drinking so much alcohol, and lose weight. Studies have shown that people who have altered a bad lifestyle have also removed themselves from the group at risk for heart problems.

There are some theories that it’s not the cholesterol that causes patients to be at risk, but sugar. The physicians that follow this theory have seen excellent results in patients that have lowered the sugar intake and all foods that convert to sugar. They believe there isn’t any correlation between the CRP level and being at risk for a heart condition. Additional studies need to be made on this topic, but it’s good to see some physicians thinking outside of the pharmaceutical company pockets.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.