Inflammation that lasts a long time. Some chronic inflammatory diseases last for years or even a lifetime.

Severe inflammation can make you feel generally ill and exhausted and cause a fever.
A lack of butyrate, a fatty acid made by gut microbes, has been found in people with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease.
Autoimmune disorders generally cannot be cured, but in many cases they can be controlled.

How it works

In chronic inflammation, the immune system keeps sending out chemical messengers. Conditions with long-lasting inflammation include autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, and the CRP blood test is used to help diagnose and monitor them.

A high-sensitivity CRP test is used to help assess your risk of heart disease. CRP also rises soon after an injury or infection, so a raised result needs a doctor's interpretation.

Connections

3 connections on the map. Select a topic to read its page.

Chronic low-grade inflammation can result from

Inflammation (the healing response) Supported
Some inflammatory diseases are chronic and can last for years. In chronic inflammation the immune system keeps sending out chemical messengers.
Sources: InformedHealth.org (IQWiG), NCBI Bookshelf, In brief: What is an inflammation?; Pathology Tests Explained, C-reactive protein

Chronic low-grade inflammation is linked with

Coronary heart disease Supported
A high-sensitivity CRP test, which measures inflammation, is used to help assess your risk of heart disease.
Source: Pathology Tests Explained, C-reactive protein

Chronic low-grade inflammation is measured by

C-reactive protein (CRP) Supported
CRP is used to help diagnose and monitor autoimmune diseases and inflammatory bowel disease.
Source: Pathology Tests Explained, C-reactive protein

Lab tests

C-reactive protein (CRP)A blood test for C-reactive protein, a protein the liver releases into the blood in response to inflammation.

Sources

In brief: What is an inflammation?InformedHealth.org (IQWiG), NCBI Bookshelf, last reviewed 11 April 2025
C-reactive proteinPathology Tests Explained, last reviewed 14 September 2024
Autoimmune disordersBetter Health Channel (Victorian Government), last reviewed 30 September 2014
Rheumatoid arthritishealthdirect Australia, last reviewed November 2023
Gut bacteria: the inside storyAustralian Academy of Science

Each connection above names its own source. See every source AskBioMap uses.

Summarised from InformedHealth.org, Pathology Tests Explained, the Better Health Channel and the Australian Academy of Science. Sources read on 13 and 19 October 2026. General education only, not medical advice. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us through the HuBu-Intel contact page.

In brief