High C-reactive protein in colds suggests the possible presence of a combined or secondary bacterial infection, and may also be associated with the presence of a non-infectious disease such as a rheumatologic disorder.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein that rises sharply in plasma when the body is infected or damaged by tissue injury, and it can be used as a non-specific inflammatory marker. A mild increase in C-reactive protein during a cold may be due to a simple viral infection, but a more pronounced increase in C-reactive protein, along with an increase in the percentage of neutrophils, suggests the possibility of co-infection or secondary bacterial infections.
In addition, high C-reactive protein can also be seen in non-infectious diseases, such as rheumatoid immune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoarthritis, gout and so on, if the patient also has such diseases, when the cold is also seen C-reactive protein high.
For patients with high C-reactive protein, sputum culture can be performed if necessary to clarify whether there is a bacterial infection, and drug sensitivity test can also be done to clarify whether the pathogenic bacteria are sensitive to certain drugs, so as to provide a basis for the clinical selection of antimicrobial drugs, but also need to be combined with the signs and symptoms of the other relevant laboratory tests, to be vigilant about whether there is a combination of other non-infectious diseases more likely.