Inflammation
TNF-alpha
One of the signalling molecules cells release to start an inflammatory response.
Unit pg/mLTypical adult range < 12.4 pg/mL
What it is
One of the signalling molecules cells release to start an inflammatory response.
Why it matters
It sits upstream of CRP: this is part of the signal, where CRP is the liver responding to it.
Reading the number
It is measured in picograms and has a half-life of minutes, so a single value is a snapshot of that moment rather than a state. Sample handling matters more than for almost anything else on a panel, and assays do not compare between laboratories.
What moves it
recent infectionsample handlingtime of dayexcess weight
Read alongside
When to raise it
Worth reading with CRP rather than on its own.
Also known as
On a report in another language.
A lab report names this analyte in its own language. Vitals Vault recognises each of these and files them all under TNF-alpha.
Factor de Necrose Tumoral (TNF)Factor de Necrose TumoralTNFTNF-αTumornekrosefaktor
Catalog entry last updated 2026-08-28. Browse all 165 metrics.