It has been proposed that elevated c-reactive protein is an independent predictor of atherosclerosis among healthy men and women. This may be possibly related to ongoing inflammatory atherosclerosis in these individuals because of their risk factors.ĭespite these associations, research has not clearly and consistently established c-reactive protein as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as the data seem to be inconsistent from different studies. Some studies have suggested an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease associated with elevated c-reactive protein levels even after correcting for the other risk factors.Ī relation also seems to exist between an increased c-reactive protein level and the presence of known cardiac risk factors, such as High c-reactive protein levels may predict a higher risk for cardiovascular disease alone or in combination with these other known predictors. The known risk factors for cardiovascular disease are:
However, based on the current available data it cannot be considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.īased on the review of the published data, the CDC and the American Heart Association (AHA) have recommended the following guidelines for assessment of cardiovascular disease risk:
Heart disease has an inflammatory component, which may be linked to high C-reactive protein levels. Occasionally, the cap on one of these plaques can rupture and cause a more acute inflammatory process that results in impairment of blood flow in the involved vessel, leading to heart attacks or strokes when this occurs in the coronary arteries or arteries within the brain, respectively. These lesions can develop throughout the body in different degrees, and they can increase in size over time. This may represent a stable area of narrowing, or atherosclerosis, with mild inflammatory activity. The site of initial injury then may become a focus for plaques to form, which contain inflammatory cells, cholesterol deposits, and other blood cells which are covered by a cap inside the lining of the blood vessels. The basic theory suggests an injury to the blood vessel walls that occurs slowly over time. Atherosclerosis of blood vessels is thought to have an inflammatory component, and this may explain the link between this process and elevation of c-reactive protein.Ītherosclerosis can exist in varying stages. C-reactive protein is produced by the cells in the liver.Īlthough the c-reactive protein level does not provide any specifics about the inflammatory process going on in the body (such as the location of the inflammation), it has been linked to atherosclerotic vascular disease (narrowing of blood vessels) by many studies. C-reactive protein, along with other markers of inflammation (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, " sed rate," or ESR) are also sometimes referred to as acute phase reactants. Therefore, its level in the blood increases if there is any inflammation in the body. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of inflammation in the body.
0 kommentar(er)
