Biomarkers (biological markers) are measured indicators of how active a disease is or how likely a disease is to progress. A test that measures levels of inflammation, such as a sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein (CRP) test, can be a non-specific biomarker of more active disease in a patient. A blood test (such as for the antibodies used to diagnose RA, the rheumatoid factor and the anti-CCP antibody,) can sometimes be a biomarker of an increased likelihood that a patient will develop damage to their joints if the disease is not treated.