Heart attacks are a major cause of death around the world, and much research has focused lately on the underlying causes of heart attacks, and how this knowledge can be used in medical practice to help prevent the occurrence of such events.

“Atherosclerosis” or hardening of the arteries (blood vessels carrying oxygenated blood), involves the buildup of fatty deposits or plaques on the inside of the artery walls. Eventually these plaques, or plaque rupture followed by blood clot formation can then cause blockage of the artery and hence a heart attack or stroke.

Inflammation is now understood to play an important role in atherosclerosis. Inflammation protects the body against infection and helps in wound healing, but when a chronic low-grade inflammation is present, this has harmful effects on the blood vessel walls.

Dr. Libby explains in detail how white blood cells invade the artery wall to promote the buildup of fatty deposits or plaques, and the sending of chemical danger signals to the body. These signals or “pro-inflammatory cytokines” make the liver release other molecules into the blood.

One of these markers of inflammation produced by the liver is C-reactive protein (CRP), which has been studied for several years, as CRP when measured with the high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) blood test can indicate for example, which patients are at higher risk for having a future heart attack or stroke.

Dr. Libby describes how markers of inflammation such as CRP may be useful in screening patients for risk of a future heart attack, or possibly as a guide for medical therapy.

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- The process of atherosclerosis and how it leads to a heart attack or stroke
- The role of inflammation in atherosclerosis
- Clinical uses of markers of inflammation such as CRP