BLOOD TEST · SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA
CRP explained
A fast-moving marker of infection and inflammation, checked with a simple blood test.
Order it on its own, or build your own blood test profile — 4 or more tests save up to 30–50%.
What the CRP test measures
CRP is a protein the liver releases within hours of infection, injury or active inflammation, and it falls again as things settle. It says that something is inflamed, not what or where, which is why it is read with your symptoms and the rest of the panel.
What the result tells you
If it's raised
Points to an active infection or inflammation somewhere in the body. A very high level makes a bacterial infection more likely than a viral one.
Read alongside ESR
CRP rises and falls within days; ESR changes over weeks. Together they show whether inflammation is new or long-standing.
Tracking treatment
A falling CRP is one of the clearest signs that an infection or a flare of an inflammatory condition is responding to treatment.
How to prepare
- Fasting
- Not required
- Best time
- Any time of day
What can move the result
A result outside the usual range does not on its own mean something is wrong. These are the everyday explanations a doctor considers first.
Packages that include it
Frequently asked questions
CRP is a protein the liver releases within hours of infection, injury or active inflammation, and it falls again as things settle. It says that something is inflamed, not what or where, which is why it is read with your symptoms and the rest of the panel. If it's raised: Points to an active infection or inflammation somewhere in the body. A very high level makes a bacterial infection more likely than a viral one.
Fasting: Not required. Best time: Any time of day.
Commonly: a recent cold, infection or injury; long-term inflammatory conditions such as arthritis; recent surgery or a recent vaccination; excess weight, which keeps it slightly raised; anti-inflammatory and steroid medicines, which lower it. A single result is not a diagnosis. Values are read against the laboratory's own reference range and alongside your history, your symptoms and the rest of the panel — which is why every package includes a doctor to go through them with you.
At Smart Care Polyclinic, 29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira, Dubai. It is included in the Smart Essential Health, the Smart Total Health, the Smart Total Health 360°, the Smart Extra Health, the Smart Extra Health 360°, the Gut Health, the Gut Health 360°, the Gut Health Plus, the Gut Health + 360°, or it can be ordered on its own. Walk in during opening hours or call +971 (0)4 379 3562.
Sources
Written from current guidance and reviewed 18 October 2026.
- C-reactive protein (CRP) testMedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine
- C-reactive protein (CRP)Testing.com, Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine