C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein produced by the liver during inflammation. CRP levels rise within hours of inflammation or tissue injury and interact with the immune system's complement pathway. The CRP test is used to detect inflammation and monitor conditions involving infection, injury, or disease by checking for elevated CRP levels, which normally return to baseline after treatment or healing. An elevated CRP can indicate infection, injury, or inflammatory conditions like arthritis but does not diagnose a specific disease.