What does my daughter's C-reactive protein test report indicate?

Q: My 22 years old daughters' lab report for serum C - reactive protein was 12 mg/L. What does it indicates? She is suffering for low-grade fever for the last month.

A:C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant. It is a compound found in higher levels in the blood whenever there is any inflammation in the body. This maybe infectious or non infectious in origin. CRP does not indicate the cause of the illness but is more useful in terms of follow-up to see the progression/cure of disease. We would need to establish a reason for fever in your daughter and to rule out any chronic illness like tuberculosis if the fever persists.