A CRP Test Before Vaccination is Not Necessary
The Claim
CRP test should happen prior to the COVID-19 vaccine.
News posted on
Emerging story
Messages circulating on social media sites such as WhatsApp and Twitter recommend that people circulate get a C-reactive protein (CRP) test before getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar has discovered that some social media suggest reducing the risk of COVID-19 vaccines. A CRP test is recommended prior to vaccination. According to the Mayo Clinic, the level of C-reactive protein, which is a protein that can be measured in your blood, increases when there's inflammation in your body. Inflammation can be an indication of infection or chronic inflammatory disease and the risk of heart disease. While it can detect whether inflammation is present, a CRP test can not indicate the cause of the inflammation.
There is a known relationship between COVID-19 and C-reactive protein levels. About 20% of people who contract COVID-19 develop potentially life-threatening pathologies involving acute inflammation. According to the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, it has been reported in hospitalized COVID-19 patients that CRP levels almost doubled from non-severe disease to severe disease. This is because severe cases of COVID-19 develop a hyperinflammatory response.
There is also a relationship between C-reactive protein and at least one COVID-19 vaccine. According to Nature, after receiving at least one of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, some saw a temporary increase in C-reactive protein counts. However, these temporary increases were markers that the vaccine was doing what it was designed to do, stimulating the immune system.
Because the potential rise in CRP values is temporary and expected from the COVID-19 vaccine, it is unnecessary to have your C-reactive protein levels tested before vaccination. If you live with increased levels of CRP values because of heart disease or another underlying condition, you may be more at risk for more severe COVID-19 disease, so it is important that you talk to your doctor and try to receive the vaccine if you are able. If you regularly have your CRP values monitored for an ongoing condition, it may be advisable to wait at least two weeks after your vaccine to be tested to give your CRP levels a chance to return to their baseline.
While there is a potential relationship between COVID-19, the vaccine, and CRP values, it is unnecessary to have a CRP test before receiving the vaccine.
