Test Code HSCRP High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein
Specimen and Container/Tube
Specimen Type: Plasma
Preferred Specimen: Li-Heparin Mint Green Top
Other Acceptable specimens: Serum/Gold Top, Serum/Red Top
Volume
Preferred Volume: 0.5 mL
Minimum Volume: 0.2 mL
Specimen Stability
Storage Temperature |
Stability for Li-Heparin Plasma and Serum |
Room temperature |
11 days |
Refrigerated |
2 months |
Frozen |
3 years |
Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions
UCMC Onsite Instructions:
Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately.
UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions:
- Samples should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.
- Centrifuge specimens at >2500 x g for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Aliquot sample into plastic transport tube containing a minimum of 0.2 mL of specimen.
- Li-Heparin Plasma and Serum samples must be sent room temperature at 15-25oC.
Rejection Criteria
- Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits.
- Specimens that are clotted or grossly hemolyzed.
- Specimens that were transported unspun/whole blood and draw time is greater than 6 hours.
Reference Values
Test |
Age |
Sex |
Reference Range |
hsCRP |
All |
All |
<5 mg/L |
Note: Reference range based on in-house studies, on the recommendations from Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Roche Diagnostics product literature.
Clinical Indications
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of inflammation. Serum CRP concentrations increase rapidly and dramatically (100-fold or more) in response to tissue injury or inflammation. High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) is more precise than standard CRP when measuring baseline (ie, normal) concentrations and enables a measure of chronic inflammation.
Assessment of risk of developing myocardial infarction in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes.
Assessment of risk of developing cardiovascular disease or ischemic events in individuals who do not manifest disease at present.
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease and hs-CRP has been endorsed by multiple guidelines as a biomarker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.(1-3)
Test Components
High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein
Methodology
Particle Enhanced Immunoturbidimetric Assay (Roche Diagnostics)
CPT Codes
86141
Additional Information
hsCRP level (mg/L) |
hsCRP level (nmol/L) |
Relative risk |
< 1.0 |
< 9.52 |
low |
1.0-3.0 |
9.52-28.6 |
average |
> 3.0 |
> 28.6 |
high |
Patients with higher hsCRP concentrations are more likely to develop myocardial infarction and severe peripheral vascular disease. 5-95 % reference intervals of neonates and children: Neonates (0-3 weeks): 0.1-4.1 mg/L (0.95-39.0 nmol/L) Children (2 months-15 years): 0.1-2.8 mg/L (0.95-26.7 nmol/L)
Last Review Date
5/30/25
Critical Values
Analyte |
Unit |
Low |
High |
Age |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
LOINC Codes
30522-7
Collection Instructions
Collect specimen per standard laboratory collection procedures.
Turnaround Time
Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory.
STAT Turnaround Time: 1 hour
Routine Turnaround Time: 4 hours
Testing Schedule: 24/7
Synonyms/Keyword Search
Protein, C-Reactive