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Do You Have A High C-Reactive Protein Level

A simple test could show if you might have future heart problems. The C-Reactive protein (CRP) has been shown to be a marker of inflammation in the body particularly for inflammation due to atherosclerosis of hardening of the arteries.

Atherosclerosis is a systemic disorder and involves the injury of our arteries’ glistening and responsive lining tissue called the endothelium. This lining allows the underlying muscle layer to expand and contract in order to regulate and fulfill the expanding or decreasing needs of the tissues supplied by the blood vessels. Atherosclerosis can stiffen and distort this layer causing it to behave differently.

Atherosclerosis begins with whitish streaks being deposited in the arteries. Depending on diet and physical activity, overtime these streaks may become plaque deposits which can block blood flow through the artery.

As the plaques accumulate, part of the unstable outer surface may break off and cause a blood clot blocking flow to heart muscle and causing a heart attack.

Inflammation is a key component in the atherosclerotic process. The body produces C-reactive protein during the general process of inflammation. When atherosclerosis damages arteries around the heart, they become inflamed, which triggers CRP production, so increased levels of CRP may indicate that a patient is at risk for heart attack.

This has become particularly important since a surprising number of heart attack victims do not have high cholesterol or other risk factors of heart disease – seemingly healthy people have heart attacks.

The American Heart Association has recommended using the CRP level to determine a patient’s risk of heart disease. This simple, inexpensive blood test (high sensitivity C-reactive protein or hs-CRP test) takes the traditional cardiac check-up a step further, pinpointing those people who are at a much higher risk than others for heart disease.

From hs-CRP results, doctors gain crucial insight into inflammation of the blood vessels around the heart.

Results:
  • Less than 1.0 mg/L = Low Risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD)
  • 1.0-2.9 mg/L = Intermediate Risk for CVD
  • Greater than 3.0 mg/L High Risk for CVD

The hs-CRP test may help you avoid a heart attack when you think you don’t fall in the high risk category.


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    This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 2:10 pm and is filed under heart health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    14 Responses to “Do You Have A High C-Reactive Protein Level”

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    2. Thanks, Brad.
      There is a lot of discussion by medical researchers whether cholesterol is as good a marker for heart disease as is C-Reactive Protein. I suspect that in the near future we’ll have a new standard.

      Regards,

      Tim

    3. Thanks, Brad.
      There is a lot of discussion by medical researchers whether cholesterol is as good a marker for heart disease as is C-Reactive Protein. I suspect that in the near future we’ll have a new standard.

      Regards,

      Tim

      PS
      Could you be so kind as to Digg the post??

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