Inflammatory Markers 101: How To Interpret

Inflammation is a necessary and crucial response in an acute setting. However, what happens when inflammation lingers and becomes systemic in nature? Chronic inflammation can increase our risk for a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, cancer, autoimmune and cardiovascular disease. More than 50% of all deaths are estimated to be related to inflammatory conditions. In order to be proactive about disease prevention, it is important to test for signs of inflammation regularly. Here we discuss some familiar yet novel lab markers to assess for inflammation.[signup] What are Inflammatory Markers?Blood tests that can measure inflammation levels in the body are known as inflammatory markers. In order to monitor inflammation in a clinically useful way, these lab tests must be valid and prognostic. It is important to note that inflammatory markers are not diagnostic and must be interpreted alongside symptoms and other lab tests and imaging. Examples of inflammatory markers include: C-Reac...