Private CRP Test: £50, results in 24 hours
The high-sensitivity CRP blood test, £50
The C-reactive protein test, the standard blood marker of inflammation and infection, measured with the high-sensitivity method on a venous sample and reviewed by a doctor who tells you whether the level is normal, mildly raised or high, what is likely to be behind it and what to do next. Results emailed within 24 hours. No fasting and no GP referral needed. Have your blood taken at our Kings Heath clinic in Birmingham with no blood-draw fee, at one of 100+ partner clinics across the UK, or at home.
Includes: the test, the lab fee, a doctor’s review of your result against the inflammation and heart-risk bands and a written report by email, usually within 24 hours, with the next step if the level is raised. Nothing to pay on the day at the Birmingham clinic.
Book a CRP test online- No referral needed
- No fasting
- Results in 24 hours
- Doctor-reviewed
- CQC-registered clinic
What a CRP test checks
CRP is the blood test doctors use to answer one question quickly: is there inflammation or infection in the body, and how much? It rises within hours of a bacterial infection, an injury or a flare of an inflammatory condition, and falls just as fast when the cause settles, so it both finds inflammation and tracks it. The high-sensitivity version also reads the very low levels, under 3 mg/L, that reflect chronic inflammation in the arteries, which is why hs-CRP is used alongside cholesterol to judge heart risk. It does not say where the inflammation is; the doctor’s report, your symptoms and the tests added to it do that.
- hs-CRP C-reactive protein, a protein the liver releases into the blood within hours of inflammation anywhere in the body: infection, injury, surgery, a flare of arthritis or bowel disease, and, at a much lower level, the chronic low-grade inflammation of the arteries that drives heart disease. The “hs” (high-sensitivity) method measures accurately below 5 mg/L, the floor of a standard CRP, which is what makes it usable as a heart-risk marker as well as an infection marker. It rises within 6 to 8 hours, peaks at about 48 hours and halves every 19 hours once the cause settles, so it also tracks whether a treatment is working.
When to have one
A CRP test is worth having if any of these apply:
- A result from your GP or hospital showed a raised CRP and you want it rechecked, explained, or tracked back to normal
- Joint pain, stiffness or swelling, especially in the morning: CRP with ESR, rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP is the first screen for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory arthritis
- Tiredness, fevers, night sweats, weight loss or feeling generally unwell without an obvious cause: CRP with a full blood count is the standard first step
- A lingering infection, chest infection or wound, to see whether it is settling or needs antibiotics; or to check a known infection has cleared
- An inflammatory condition such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, lupus or psoriatic arthritis, to monitor activity between hospital reviews
- A heart-risk check: hs-CRP alongside a cholesterol profile adds to the risk calculation, particularly with a family history, diabetes or borderline cholesterol
What happens
- Book online and choose where to have your blood taken: the Kings Heath clinic, a partner clinic near you or a home visit. Pay once; there is nothing to pay on the day.
- Give one small blood sample. It takes a few minutes. No fasting is needed.
- The lab measures high-sensitivity CRP at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, usually the same day.
- A doctor reviews your result and emails you a written report, usually within 24 hours, placing it in the normal, low-grade, moderately raised or high band and reading it against your symptoms and anything you have told us about recent illness.
- If something needs following up, the report says what: a repeat in two to four weeks to see whether a mild rise settles, a full blood count, ESR and the arthritis antibodies if joints are the problem, procalcitonin if a bacterial infection is suspected, or a GP appointment for a high result or one that will not fall. We write to your NHS GP with your consent.
How to prepare
- No fasting. Eat and drink normally, at any time of day.
- Tell us about any infection, cold, dental problem, injury, vaccination or operation in the last two to three weeks: all raise CRP and are the usual explanation for a one-off rise.
- For a heart-risk hs-CRP, wait until you have been well for at least two weeks, because any infection swamps the low-level reading; the doctor may advise a repeat to confirm a stable baseline.
- Tell us about steroid tablets, anti-inflammatories, statins or immune-suppressing medicines, which lower CRP, and about pregnancy, the pill or HRT, which raise it slightly.
Where to have your blood taken
The test, the laboratory and the doctor’s report are the same wherever you live. Only the blood-draw fee differs, and it is charged once per visit however many tests you add.
Want more from the same sample? Add a ESR (the two inflammation markers together), full blood count or ESR and full blood count (the unexplained-illness screen) and the blood is taken once, with the multi-test discount applied at checkout.
Normal ranges and what a high result means
| Marker | Typical adult range |
|---|---|
| Below 1 mg/L | Normal, and low cardiovascular risk on the hs-CRP scale |
| 1 to 3 mg/L | Normal; average cardiovascular risk |
| 3 to 10 mg/L | Mildly raised: low-grade inflammation (obesity, smoking, gum disease, a settling infection) or higher cardiovascular risk; repeat when well |
| 10 to 50 mg/L | Moderately raised: active inflammation or infection, most often viral, a flare of an inflammatory condition, or recent injury or surgery |
| Above 50 mg/L | High: usually bacterial infection or a significant inflammatory flare; above 100 needs prompt medical assessment |
A standard laboratory CRP reports “normal” as below 5 mg/L (some laboratories below 10), and cannot measure accurately beneath that, which is why heart-risk assessment uses the high-sensitivity method with its 1 and 3 mg/L cut-offs. The two tests measure the same protein and the bands above apply to both. The number alone does not identify the cause: a cold can give 20, a flare of rheumatoid arthritis 60, and pneumonia 200, so the report reads the level with your symptoms and timing, and a single raised result in someone who is otherwise well is repeated in two to four weeks before anything is concluded.
A mildly raised CRP in someone who feels well is usually a recent cold, a tooth, carrying extra weight or smoking, and the right response is a repeat when well rather than a search. A moderately raised result with symptoms is read with a full blood count (white cells point to infection, anaemia and platelets to chronic inflammation) and, if the joints are involved, ESR and the rheumatoid antibodies; a high result, or one that keeps climbing, needs the source found, which may mean procalcitonin to separate bacterial from viral infection, urine and chest checks, or a GP appointment. CRP is also one of the few markers that falls as fast as it rises, so a second test a week or two into treatment shows whether it is working. These are the tests we add when a result needs explaining, all bookable at the same clinic:
Questions people ask
What is a normal CRP level?
Below 5 mg/L on a standard CRP test, and most healthy people are below 3. On the high-sensitivity scale used for heart risk, below 1 mg/L is low risk, 1 to 3 average and above 3 higher risk. Between 10 and 50 means active inflammation or infection, and above 50, more so above 100, usually means a bacterial infection or a significant inflammatory flare. Laboratory ranges differ slightly and your report shows the one used.
What causes a high CRP?
Anything that inflames tissue: bacterial and viral infections (a cold or flu can give 10 to 40, pneumonia or a kidney infection well over 100), a flare of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, gout or psoriatic arthritis, an injury, burn or operation, a heart attack, and some cancers. Low-level rises of 3 to 10 come from obesity, smoking, gum disease, poor sleep, pregnancy and the oral contraceptive pill. The level, how fast it changes and your symptoms narrow the cause; a one-off mild rise in someone who feels well is usually a recent infection and is simply repeated.
What is the difference between CRP and hs-CRP?
They measure the same protein. A standard CRP test reports accurately from about 5 mg/L upwards, which is all that matters for infection and inflammatory disease. The high-sensitivity (hs) method measures reliably down to below 1 mg/L, which is needed to use the test for cardiovascular risk, where the cut-offs are 1 and 3 mg/L. Our test is the hs-CRP, so one result serves both purposes: if it is 2, it is normal for inflammation and in the average band for heart risk.
What CRP level is concerning?
It depends on the context. Under 10 is rarely concerning on its own, especially after a recent cold. 10 to 50 with a fever, cough, joint pain or feeling unwell is active inflammation that usually explains itself and settles; without any symptoms it is repeated in two to four weeks. Above 50 needs a cause found, and above 100, or any level with a high fever, breathlessness, confusion or severe pain, needs same-day assessment because it can mean a serious bacterial infection or sepsis. A level that keeps rising on repeat tests matters more than any single number.
Does CRP show heart risk?
Yes, at the low end of the scale. Chronic inflammation inside the artery wall is part of how plaques form and rupture, and an hs-CRP above 3 mg/L, measured when you are well, roughly doubles the risk of a heart attack compared with below 1, independently of cholesterol. It is used to refine the picture when cholesterol is borderline or there is a family history, not on its own: the full assessment is hs-CRP with a cholesterol profile, ApoB and lipoprotein(a), blood pressure, HbA1c and your family history. Statins lower CRP as well as cholesterol.
Can CRP be raised if I feel fine?
Yes, and it is common. A cold you have already forgotten, a dental problem, a recent vaccination, carrying extra weight, smoking or hard training the day before can all lift it into the 3 to 20 range without symptoms. The usual advice is a repeat two to four weeks later when you are well; if it is normal then, the first result was a passing infection. A level that stays raised with no explanation, especially above 10, is worth a full blood count, ESR and a GP review to look for a quiet inflammatory condition.
Is CRP raised in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions?
Usually, and it is used to measure how active the arthritis is and whether treatment is working: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis all raise CRP during a flare. Lupus is the exception, where CRP often stays normal while ESR rises, which is why the two are measured together. A normal CRP does not exclude early rheumatoid arthritis either, so joint symptoms are screened with rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP antibodies as well.
What is the difference between CRP and ESR?
Both are inflammation markers, but CRP rises and falls within hours to days and is the more direct and specific measure, while ESR (the erythrocyte sedimentation rate) changes over days to weeks and is affected by anaemia, age, pregnancy and abnormal proteins as well as inflammation. CRP is better for infection and for tracking treatment; ESR is still useful in polymyalgia rheumatica, temporal arteritis, lupus and myeloma, where it may be high when CRP is not. Many doctors order both, and the pattern (high ESR with normal CRP, for example) is itself informative.
Do I need to fast for a CRP test?
No. Eat and drink normally and have the sample taken at any time of day. The only timing that matters is for a heart-risk hs-CRP, which should be taken when you have been well for at least two weeks, because any infection or injury lifts the result far above the 1 to 3 mg/L range being assessed.
How much does a private CRP test cost?
£50 at OneMedicine for the high-sensitivity CRP, which includes the laboratory test, a doctor’s review and a written report by email. ESR is £35 and a full blood count £40 from the same sample, and the autoimmune and inflammation screen (ANA, anti-CCP, rheumatoid factor, ESR and hs-CRP) is £169. There is no blood-draw fee at our Birmingham clinic; a partner clinic elsewhere in the UK adds £29 and a home visit in England £60, once per visit.
Can CRP be normal when something is wrong?
Yes. CRP is a sensitive marker of inflammation but not of every illness: lupus, many viral infections, early or localised disease, some cancers and conditions that do not involve inflammation (an underactive thyroid, anaemia, diabetes) can all have a normal CRP. It can also be blunted by steroids, immune-suppressing medicines and severe liver disease. A normal result is reassuring about active bacterial infection and inflammatory flares, but symptoms that persist still need looking into, usually with a full blood count and the tests that fit the symptom.
How long do CRP test results take?
Results are usually emailed within 24 hours of the sample reaching the lab, often the same evening for a sample taken at the Birmingham clinic. Samples from partner clinics and home visits are couriered to the same laboratory and typically take one to two working days.
Read more
- What Is CRP and What Does It Mean?
- What Does a Raised CRP Mean if You Feel Fine?
- Can a Blood Test Detect Inflammation in Your Arteries?
- High ESR but Normal CRP — What Does It Mean?
- What Is ESR? Understanding the Inflammation Blood Test
OneMedicine, 1 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7AR. Opposite Kings Heath railway station, on-site parking. CQC-registered.
