We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




High-Sensitivity CRP Testing Underutilized

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 29 Jan 2019
Heart attack, stroke, and atherothrombotic cardiovascular deaths are disorders characterized by chronic hyperlipidemia in the setting of a persistent pro-inflammatory response, often exacerbated by hypertension and behavioral factors such as smoking.

Cholesterol and blood pressure measurements are routine tools in the armamentarium for treating cardiovascular disease, but few internists and cardiologists utilize high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) testing even though it is an important prognostic tool in both primary and secondary cardiac risk prevention.

International scientists working with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA, USA) had their study highlighted that included more than 7,000 patients with percutaneous coronary artery intervention who underwent serial hsCRP measurements from 2009 and 2016. More...
Among these patients, 38% had persistently high residual inflammatory risk (hsCRP >2 mg/L) despite high-quality care, and another 10% developed residual inflammatory risk over time. Following these patients for more than a year afterward, investigators found that for those with hsCRP above 2 mg/L, rates of recurrent myocardial infarction and all-cause mortality were 7.5% and 2.6% respectively, compared with much lower rates of 4.3% and 0.7% found in patients with lower hsCRP. Investigators in subgroup analyses also found a link between elevated hsCRP and poor outcomes in both men and women, and among those with LDL cholesterol levels above and below 70 mg/dL.

Paul M. Ridker, MD, MPH, the lead author of the study and his colleagues, wrote, “Multiple trials have shown that the benefits of statin therapy relate to both lipid lowering and inhibition of inflammation, with on-treatment hsCRP levels as important a prognostic factor as on-treatment levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Very recent data suggest that low levels of hsCRP but not low levels of LDL cholesterol are protective for stroke.”

They added that other key clinical trials illustrate the significance of measuring hsCRP levels in secondary prevention. The CANTOS trial provided proof of principle that targeting innate immunity, at least with a monoclonal antibody that reduces the critical interleukin-1β to interleukin-6 to CRP pathway, significantly lowers recurrent rates of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death among patients already treated with high-intensity statins.

The authors concluded that physicians can only address the biological processes they measure. Without measuring hsCRP, it is unclear how we will effectively identify and manage residual inflammatory risk. While some reject the idea of using hsCRP as a screening tool, this controversy has resulted in less than optimal preventive care for millions of high-risk European patients. The editorial was published on January 17, 2019, in the journal Clinical Laboratory News.

Related Links:
Brigham and Women’s Hospital


Gold Member
Antipsychotic TDM Assays
Saladax Antipsychotic Assays
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Gold Member
Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile pHOx
New
Celiac Disease Test
Anti-Gliadin IgG ELISA
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.