Can Elevated C Reactive Protein Levels Cause Severe Night Sweats?

Posted on Fri, 2 Mar 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 2 Mar 2018 Answered on

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a 45 year old female post menopause, C-reactive protein level is 20.9 and I have drenching night sweats. I know the CRP is a marker for inflammation some where in the body. Can the night sweats be caused from the elevation of the CRP

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
You will need a detailed evaluation

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

Thank you for your query.

Elevated C reactive protein is indicative of inflammation in the body. It can be from a variety of causes including infections, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer etc. C reactive protein of 20.9 is pretty high and requires detailed evaluation.

Complete blood count, Complete metabolic profile, chest Xray, PPD (to rule out tuberculosis), Electrocardiogram (to rule out coronary artery disease), urine analysis, stool analysis are recommended at this point.

The night sweats you are experiencing can be due to menopause (commonly called hot flashes) or it can be indicative of underlying conditions like Tuberculosis. That is why extensive evaluation is required before we can conclude on a definite diagnosis. Please be advised to follow up with your primary care provider for necessary evaluation.

Hope this answers your question.

Regards,
Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal, General & Family Physician

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T