Does CRP hold key to the heart disease problem?

C-reactive protein, commonly known as CRP is a marker for inflammation. This can be measured by a simple blood test. Several recent research studies have shown that persons with high CRP have a higher chance of developing blockages of heart arteries. Following are some important points to understand about CRP

- We do not know if high CRP is cause or just a marker of heart disease

- We still do not have a medicine that will act purely as CRP lowering agent. We also have not proven that lowering CRP alone will translate into lowering heart disease.

- The studies have shown that CRP is high in patients with conventional heart disease risk factors. Some studies have also shown that usual measures for heart health like exercise lower CRP.

Based on all this, you can’t help questioning the utility of knowing CRP in addition to knowing classical risk factors.

I can see utility of CRP in some scenarios:

- If you are a person without or with heart disease, and seeing some numbers may help motivate you to take better care of yourself.

- If you have borderline cholesterol, a high CRP may make a stronger case for cholesterol lowering medications.

(c)Keshav Chander

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