C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

The β-globulin family of human proteins is useful in diagnosing a host of infection conditions and tissue damage. CRP, produced mainly in the liver, is one of these major proteins (~ 105,000 Mw). During acute phase conditions, levels of CRP increase dramatically in concentration. In fact, the protein may be elevated 2000-fold by certain inflammatory events.

For example, research has shown that patients with stable angina who have high circulating levels of CRP are at greater risk of experiencing myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Patients with CRP levels greater than 3.6mg/L had about a two-fold increase in their risk of an MI or sudden death, as compared to patients with lower levels.

One recent study indicated that men with elevated CRP concentrations had a two-fold increase in the risk of stroke, a three-fold increase in the risk of MI, and a four-fold increase in the risk of developing peripheral vascular disease.

Additionally, baseline CRP concentration is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease among apparently healthy postmenopausal women. The predictive value of a model including CRP as a cardiac risk factor is superior to models using usual risk factors only. CRP predicts vascular events even among low-risk subgroups of women with no readily apparent markers for disease.

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