What is inflammation, and how can you test for it?

Inflammation is the body’s immune response to an irritant. The irritant could be trauma from an injury, chemicals, or an infection. The body responds with pain, swelling, and redness, which are all part of the initial inflammatory response.

Short-term inflammation is referred to as acute inflammation and is usually self limiting. Acute inflammation is often a sign your body is working to fight an infection or heal itself. In contrast, when inflammation persists, or is in response to the body's own cells, it is referred to as chronic inflammation. In chronic inflammation, your body’s immune system continues to send out it’s main defenders, white blood cells, and other messengers to fight. Sometimes these defenders can end up attacking nearby healthy tissues or cells. This immune system response can persist for prolonged periods of time or even indefinitely. Our inflammatory markers test measures your body’s level of a protein whose levels are elevated when inflammation is present (acute or chronic).

Chronic inflammation has been implicated in a wide variety of disorders, including:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Dementia
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Lupus
• Crohn's Disease
• Cancer

C-Reactive Protein, or CRP, is a protein that increases in the blood with inflammation. The high-sensitivity CRP test (hs-CRP) can detect even small elevations of CRP protein as an indicator of low levels of inflammation in the body.

Wondering how to test for inflammation?

An inflammatory markers test that measures your CRP levels can help you understand if there are inflammatory processes occurring in your body. Our blood test for inflammation can help you identify elevated levels of hs-CRP and is a convenient way to learn about inflammation that may be occurring in your body.

Everlywell has included a vitamin D screen as part of our hs-CRP test. Though vitamin D is a valuable marker on its own, there is evidence that low vitamin D levels (such as those seen in vitamin D deficiency) are often seen in individuals with elevated CRP levels.

You might consider this inflammation test if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed below

Our high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test (a simple at-home blood test) can check the body for a key marker of inflammation, hs-CRP.

Symptoms of chronic inflammation are often vague and may go undetected, but can include:

• Ongoing, Irritating Pain in Joints or Muscles
• Constant Fatigue or Lethargy
• Frequent Infection
• Gastrointestinal complications like constipation, diarrhea, and reflux
• Insomnia

Vitamin D is widely known to be essential for strong bones as it helps the body use calcium, but if you are deficient, there are a wide variety of other symptoms one can experience:

• Excessive Sweating
• Noticeable and Unexpected Weakness
• Broken Bones
• Chronic Pain
• Depression
• Fatigue

Related test for fatigue symptom: Thyroid Test

Your results from our high-sensitivity CRP test will contain your levels of CRP and vitamin D and whether they are low, normal, or high compared to the appropriate reference ranges.

It is important to understand that a single C-reactive protein (CRP) level does not tell the complete story. An hs-CRP level can be temporarily elevated by your body’s response to a recent illness, infection, or trauma. An elevated CRP level should be confirmed with follow-up testing. To identify signs of chronic inflammation, a healthcare provider may test for additional markers of inflammation.

Everlywell can suggest dietary and lifestyle changes that can help you regulate vitamin D levels in your body.

If your vitamin D levels are low, you may wish to modify your diet and sunlight exposure to maximize vitamin D levels in your body.

If you exhibit elevated CRP levels, you may consider waiting a month or so and retesting, as the high CRP levels might be the result of recent illness, infection, or trauma.

Once you get your results back from our inflammation level test (CRP testing), you can then show them to your healthcare provider and discuss potential next steps. Sharing your Everlywell results with your doctor is the best way to create informed decisions about your health and wellness planning.

• Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms