Quick Facts
- Sample: Blood (serum or plasma)
- Fasting: Not required
- Turn-around: 3–5 business days. May take longer based on weather, holiday, or lab delays.
Benefits
- Predict cardiovascular risk early — even with normal cholesterol levels
- Detect chronic inflammation linked to heart attack and stroke
- Supplement traditional lipid panels for comprehensive cardiac risk assessment
- Monitor treatment effectiveness for inflammation-lowering interventions
- Confidential physician-reviewed results delivered in 3-5 days
- Convenient online ordering with local lab sample collection
Who Is This Test For?
- Adults with family history of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke
- Individuals with intermediate cardiovascular risk needing better risk prediction
- People managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes
- Those with obesity, metabolic syndrome, or chronic stress
- Anyone seeking proactive heart health monitoring beyond standard screening
- Patients on statin therapy monitoring inflammation reduction
How It Works – Just 3 Steps
- Order online — Select your test and complete your purchase through our secure platform
- Visit a lab — Get your blood drawn at a convenient local collection site near you
- Receive results — Access your confidential results within 3-5 business days in your online account.
FAQ
What does this test measure? It measures very low levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease risk.
Is this different from a standard CRP test? Yes. The high-sensitivity version detects much lower CRP levels specifically for cardiac risk assessment, not acute infections.
Do I need to fast before this test? Fasting is not required, though some providers recommend it for result consistency with other cardiac tests.
How quickly will I get results? Results are typically available within 1-2 business days and reviewed by a physician before release.
Can medications affect my results? Yes. Statins and lifestyle changes can lower CRP levels, while infections or inflammation elevate them temporarily.
Should I retest if my result is high? Results above 10 mg/L may indicate infection or acute inflammation. Retesting after recovery is recommended for accurate cardiac assessment.
More Details
What is the purpose of this test?
The High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) Blood Test measures very low concentrations of CRP in your blood to assess cardiovascular disease risk (Mayo Clinic 2025). Unlike standard CRP tests that detect general inflammation from infections or injuries, this specialized assay identifies subtle, chronic inflammation associated with atherosclerosis—the buildup of plaque in arteries.
Elevated hs-CRP levels indicate increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease, even in people with normal cholesterol (CDC 2025). This test helps your doctor determine whether you have low, moderate, or high cardiovascular risk according to American Heart Association guidelines (AHA 2023). It's particularly valuable when combined with traditional lipid panels for comprehensive cardiac risk stratification.
Who would benefit from this test?
This test is especially useful for individuals with intermediate cardiovascular risk who need better prediction beyond cholesterol alone (NIH 2024). You may benefit if you have a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome. It's also helpful for monitoring treatment effectiveness in patients taking statins or making lifestyle modifications to reduce inflammation.
Health-conscious individuals seeking proactive heart health management can use this test to identify hidden cardiovascular risk. The test provides actionable information that helps guide preventive interventions like diet changes, exercise programs, smoking cessation, or pharmacotherapy (Bassuk et al. 2004).
When should I order this test?
Consider ordering the hs-CRP test if you have multiple cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, poor diet, lack of physical activity, or chronic stress. It's appropriate when you want to assess your heart disease risk but have no current symptoms.
You may also order this test if you're managing conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes and want additional insight into inflammation levels. Previous heart-related events or concerns about future cardiovascular risk are also good reasons to order. Discuss timing with your healthcare provider, who can integrate results with your overall cardiac risk assessment (LabCorp 2025).
How do I interpret the results?
Your hs-CRP result is reported in milligrams per liter (mg/L) and categorized by cardiovascular risk level:
hs-CRP < 1.0 mg/L
- Meaning: Low cardiovascular risk
- Action: Continue healthy lifestyle habits
hs-CRP 1.0–3.0 mg/L
- Meaning: Moderate cardiovascular risk
- Action: Lifestyle modification; possible preventive therapy
hs-CRP > 3.0 mg/L
- Meaning: High cardiovascular risk
- Action: Aggressive risk reduction; medical intervention likely
hs-CRP > 10.0 mg/L
- Meaning: Possible acute inflammation or infection
- Action: Retest after recovery; investigate underlying cause
Elevated hs-CRP predicts cardiovascular events even in healthy individuals with normal lipid profiles (Bassuk et al. 2004).
Results above 10 mg/L often indicate an acute infection or inflammatory condition unrelated to cardiac risk and warrant retesting once resolved. Always discuss your specific results with your healthcare provider, who will consider them alongside your complete cardiovascular risk profile.
Pre-test preparation
No fasting is strictly required for the hs-CRP test, though some providers recommend it for consistency when ordering alongside lipid panels. Avoid scheduling this test if you currently have an infection, cold, or other acute illness, as these temporarily elevate CRP levels and obscure cardiac risk assessment.
Inform your healthcare provider about all medications you're taking, especially statins or anti-inflammatory drugs that can affect results. Avoid strenuous exercise 24 hours before testing. Stay well-hydrated and arrive at the lab ready for a standard blood draw requiring approximately 5 mL of blood.
How often should I get tested?
Testing frequency depends on your cardiovascular risk profile and treatment status:
- Initial screening with intermediate risk: Baseline, then as advised by provider
- Monitoring lifestyle or medication changes: Every 3–6 months during intervention
- Stable low-risk individuals: Every 3–5 years or as recommended
- High-risk patients under active treatment: Every 6–12 months
Your healthcare provider will recommend a personalized testing schedule based on your individual risk factors, treatment response, and overall cardiovascular health strategy.
Why early detection matters
Chronic low-grade inflammation contributes to atherosclerosis development long before symptoms appear. Elevated hs-CRP identifies individuals at increased risk who might otherwise seem healthy based on traditional cholesterol screening alone (AHA 2023).
Early identification enables timely preventive interventions—including diet modification, exercise programs, smoking cessation, and pharmacotherapy—that reduce inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Studies show that incorporating hs-CRP into risk assessment improves prediction of myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral artery disease beyond lipid profiles alone (CDC 2025).
Related tests you may consider
Lipid Panel — Evaluates cholesterol and triglycerides for comprehensive cardiac risk
HbA1c Test — Monitors glucose control linked to cardiovascular disease
Homocysteine Test — Assesses additional cardiovascular risk factors
