What is the Difference Between CRP and D Dimer Test

The key difference between CRP and D dimer test is that CRP test looks for c-reactive proteins in the blood sample in order to detect an inflammation while D dimer test looks for D dimer protein fragment in the blood sample in order to check a blood clotting condition.

Regular blood testing is one of the most important ways to keep track of people’s overall health. Blood testing also allows people to see the way the body changes over time and empowers them to make vital decisions about their health. Doctors can use blood tests to search for markers of diseases such as diabetes, HIV, anemia, cancer, coronary heart disease, etc. CRP and D dimer tests are two blood tests regularly performed in modern laboratories. CRP or c-reactive proteins are released by the liver when there is inflammation in the body. D Dimer protein fragment is released into the blood when a blood clot begins to break down. Therefore, both tests indicate a certain health condition in the body.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is CRP Test
3. What is D Dimer Test
4. Similarities – CRP and D Dimer Test
5. CRP vs D Dimer Test in Tabular Form
6. Summary – CRP vs D Dimer Test

What is CRP Test?

CRP test measures c-reactive protein in the blood sample. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein that is made by the liver. Normally, the level of c-reactive protein is low in the blood. The liver releases more c-reactive proteins into the bloodstream if people have inflammation in the body. Moreover, the high level of c-reactive protein may indicate that the person has a serious health condition that causes inflammation. Inflammation is a very useful way of protecting body tissues and helping them to heal from injuries, infections, or other diseases. Inflammation can be acute or temporary. This type of inflammation is especially useful in a situation like a cut in the skin. The cut may redden, swell, and hurt for a few days as a result of acute inflammation. However, inflammation can also be chronic or long-term. This can damage healthy tissues and typically occurs due to chronic infections, certain autoimmune diseases (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), and other diseases like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, asthma, etc.

A CRP test can detect inflammation in the body but cannot show what is causing that inflammation. Furthermore, the result for a standard CRP test is usually normal if the CRP level is less than 10 mg/L. If it is equal to or greater than 10 mg/L, it indicates higher inflammation.

What is a D Dimer Test?

D dimer test measures D dimer protein fragments in the blood. This protein fragment is made when a blood clot dissolves in the human body. Blood clotting is a vital process that prevents people from losing too much blood when they are injured. The body will dissolve the clot once the injury has healed. In blood clotting disorders, the blood clots form when there is no obvious injury or do not dissolve when they should. A D dimer test can indicate if people have one of these conditions.

Generally, a D dimer test can be used for the detection of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and stroke. Furthermore, a normal D dimer test is considered less than 0.50 μg/mL fibrinogen equivalent units. A positive D dimer test is 0.50 or greater.

What are the Similarities Between CRP and D Dimer Test?

• CRP and D dimer tests are two blood tests regularly performed in modern laboratories.
• In both tests, two proteins in the blood samples are measured.
• Both are extremely useful in detecting life-threatening diseases.
• They should be performed by skillful laboratory technicians.
• Both these tests have little risks, such as tenderness or bruising at the site of the blood draw.

What is the Difference Between CRP and D Dimer Test?

CRP test measures c-reactive proteins in a blood sample, while the D dimer test measures D dimer protein fragments in a blood sample. Thus, this is the key difference between CRP and D Dimer test. Furthermore, a CRP test measures inflammation in the body, while a D dimer test measures blood clotting problems in the body.

The below infographic presents the differences between CRP and D Dimer test in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – CRP vs D Dimer Test

CRP and D dimer tests are two blood tests regularly performed in modern clinical laboratories. They measure specific proteins in a blood sample and are very useful in diagnosing life-threatening illnesses. A CRP test looks for c-reactive protein in the blood sample, while a D dimer test looks for the D dimer protein fragment in the blood sample. Higher levels of CRT in the blood indicate inflammation, while higher levels of D dimer in the blood indicate a blood clotting problem. So, this summarizes the difference between CRP and D dimer test.

Reference:

1. “C-Reactive Protein Test.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “D-Dimer Test: Medlineplus Medical Test.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1lj7” By Deposition authors: Ramadan, M.A., Shrive, A.K., Holden, D., Myles, D.A., Volanakis, J.E., DeLucas, L.J., Greenhough, T.J.visualization author: User:Astrojan – RCSB (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “D-dimer”  By Own work by the original uploader (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia