Inflammation is your body's natural response to injury, infection or irritation. It's the immune system's way of healing damaged tissue and defending itself against microbes, allergens and toxins. For example, when you cut your finger or twist your ankle, a cascade of immune signals brings blood-carrying inflammatory factors to the area to help remove damaged tissue and fight infection. As cells and molecules multiply, inflammation is amped up, causing the classic signs of inflammation: swelling, redness, heat and pain.
Normally, an inflammatory response is limited in duration and proportionate to the original injury; it's your body's attempt to heal itself. But sometimes, inflammation can go on for too long or happen in places where it is not needed. This chronic inflammation can be a sign of an underlying health condition.
But how can you tell whether you may be experiencing chronic inflammation? Testing inflammatory blood markers in the body is one way to measure.
It’s also helpful to know what chronic inflammation looks like and what can cause the condition. Here’s what you need to know.
What causes chronic inflammation?
Chronic inflammation happens when your body continues producing inflammatory cells even when there is no longer an injury or infection present. Teasing out cause and effect in chronic inflammation can be difficult—is an underlying condition causing prolonged inflammation, or is excessive inflammation contributing to a chronic condition?
With rheumatoid arthritis, for example, inflammatory cells attack the joint tissues, causing inflammation that comes and goes and, over time, damage to the joints. The ongoing joint damage recruits more immune cells, perpetuating the cycle of inflammation.
Several conditions are linked to chronic inflammation, including:
- Autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Crohn's disease) where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue
- Being overweight, which stresses and inflames tissue
- Smoking, which causes exposure to toxic and irritating substances
- Chronic stress, which pumps out inflammatory hormones
- Environmental toxins (e.g., air pollution, pesticides)
- Chronic infections (e.g., gum disease, urinary tract infections)
Signs your inflammation may be chronic
The symptoms of chronic inflammation can be non-specific or mimic other conditions.
Pay attention if you regularly experience any of the following:
- Joint pain or stiffness
- Skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis or acne
- Digestive issues like reflux, constipation or diarrhea
- Brain fog, memory issues and depression
- Feeling tired all the time
- Weight gain, especially around the middle
If you notice these symptoms and they persist, it might be time to consider a checkup with your healthcare provider and tests including inflammatory markers.
Testing for chronic inflammation
If you’re concerned that your symptoms may be a sign of chronic inflammation, Labcorp OnDemand’s Inflammation (hs-CRP) Test can help you find answers.
A high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) blood test measures inflammatory blood markers to detect inflammation levels in the body. Specifically, the test measures your body’s levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a substance made by the liver in response to inflammation. Elevated CRP levels can be a contributing factor to several conditions associated with chronic inflammation, such as heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
Once you take your blood inflammation test, your results can help inform important discussions with your healthcare provider. Together, you can brainstorm next steps to help manage chronic inflammation. A low hs-CRP can help rule out inflammation and point you to look at other causes for your symptoms. An elevated hs-CRP may be one clue indicating chronic inflammation, but it’s important to remember that hs-CRP can be high for other reasons too, such as a recent illness or injury.
Treatment for chronic inflammation will vary depending on your symptoms and suspected underlying causes. Your provider might recommend certain vitamins or supplements, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroid injections to reduce inflammation in a specific joint or muscle. Some people notice improvement in their inflammatory symptoms with dietary changes, such as limiting sugary, processed foods in their diet. Instead, try to embrace an anti-inflammatory diet by eating foods like leafy greens, fruits, healthy fats (e.g., avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds) and fish.
Chronic inflammation is a major driver of many diseases, but you can take action before the condition develops or progresses. Take your first step today and learn more about inflammation testing.
