Cardiovascular Problems

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a little-known marker of heart disease that the medical world is starting to take note of. It’s a blood protein that, when found in elevated levels, may indicate risk of heart attack and stroke. CRP can be detected when there is inflammation resulting from trauma or infection.

Let’s look at some study results:

• A 1985 Finnish study found that half of patients with coronary heart disease had high levels of an antibody known as C-reactive protein, compared with only 17 percent of healthy controls.
• The Physicians Health Study indicated that C-reactive protein could predict future vascular events such as heart attack in healthy and high-risk individuals, and that high levels of this protein increase risk for heart attack and stroke.
• In healthy postmenopausal women with levels of C-reactive protein and 11 other substances, the one-fourth with the highest C-reactive protein levels were 4.4 times more likely to have had a heart attack or other cardiovascular problems than the one-fourth with the lowest levels.

A simple CRP blood test is as accurate as cholesterol and homocysteine screening in predicting a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke.

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