• Cardiometabolic risk: cardiovascular disease risk stratification.
• Metabolic health: metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance features.
• Blood lipid concerns: dyslipidaemia alongside other risk markers.
• Weight-related concerns: overweight or obesity.
• Glycaemic health: diabetes or impaired glucose regulation.
• Vascular health: peripheral arterial disease risk assessment.
• Cerebrovascular risk: ischaemic stroke risk evaluation.
• Cardiac risk factors: heart attack risk assessment.

The hs-CRP test measures high-sensitivity C-reactive protein from a dried blood spot sample collected via finger prick. High-sensitivity assays allow detection of low-level CRP concentrations that are not captured by standard CRP testing, providing insight into subtle inflammatory activity.

This test may be clinically useful when assessing cardiometabolic risk profiles, particularly in individuals with features such as dyslipidaemia, obesity, insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome. Low-grade elevations in hs-CRP can add context alongside lipid markers, glucose regulation and other cardiovascular-related measures.

Practitioners typically interpret hs-CRP results alongside medical history, body composition, blood lipid profiles, glycaemic markers, lifestyle factors and other laboratory findings. Reviewing hs-CRP within this broader context supports informed discussions with clients about inflammatory patterns.

Practical

Specimen requirements:

Dried bloodspot sample (DBS). (Only requires a shallow finger prick.)

Average processing time:

11 ±4 days

Research

• Beesley R, Al Serouri A, Filteau SM. Measurement of c-reactive protein in dried blood spots on filter paper. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2000; 94: 348- 349.

• Cordon SM, Elborn JS, Hiller EJ, Shale DJ. C-reactive protein measured in dried blood spots from patients with cystic fibrosis. J Immunol Methods 1991; 143(1): 69-72.

• Kapur S, Kapur S, Zava D. Cardiometabolic risk factors assessed by a finger stick dried blood spot method. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2008;2:236-241.

• Khera A, McGuire DK, Murphy SA et al. Race and gender differences in C-reactive protein levels. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005; 46(3): 464- 469.

• Marques-Vidal P, Mazoyer E, Bongard V, et al. Prevalence of insulin resistance syndrome in southwestern France and its relationship with inflammatory and hemostatic markers. Diabetes Care 2002;25:1371-7.

• McDade TW, Burhop J, Dohnal J. High sensitivity enzyme immunoassay for C-reactive protein in dried blood spots. Clin Chem 2004; 50:652-4.

• Pradhan AD, Manson JE, Rifai N, Buring JE, Ridker PM. C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, and risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. JAMA 2001;286:327-34.