CRP Testing Takes on New Importance

With two new studies showing that knowing C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are just as important as knowing cholesterol in lowering the risk of heart disease, CRP testing can be expected to grow in the future.

In one study involving 3,745 patients receiving statin therapy, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH, Boston, MA, USA) found that lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was not enough, that CRP also needed to be lowered to less than 2 mg/l in order to achieve the greatest clinical benefit. In fact, patients who had low CRP levels after statin treatment did significantly better than those with high CRP levels, regardless of the level of LDL cholesterol attained. The lowest level of risk was found in patients with LDL of less than 70 mg/dl and a CRP of less than 2 mg/l. The study was published in the January 6, 2005, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

"These new data confirm the crucial role inflammation plays in heart disease,” noted lead author Paul M. Ridker, M.D., of BWH. "The data also provide the first hard evidence that lowering CRP levels is associated with clinical benefits for our patients.”

In another study, published in the same issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic (OH, USA) demonstrated that the rate of progression of atherosclerosis is slowed among patients who received the greatest CRP reduction after initiating statin therapy.

"Physicians prescribing statin therapy need to monitor CRP levels as well as cholesterol levels if they want to get the best results for their patients,” remarked Eugene Braunwald, M.D., professor, Harvard Medical School.





Related Links:
Brigham and Women's
Cleveland Clinic