Development and Validation of Improved Algorithms for the Assessment of Global Cardiovascular Risk in Women: The Reynolds Risk Score

This article describes how the Reynolds Risk Score was developed and validated using data from 24,558 initially healthy American women, who were followed up for a median of 10.2 years for incident cardiovascular events.

Clinical Relevance of C-Reactive Protein During Follow-Up of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes in the Aggrastat-to-Zocor Trial

New data from almost 4000 patients with ACS demonstrating the clinical utility of hs-CRP measured at 30 days or 4 months of follow-up, in terms of predicting 2-year mortality.

Additive Value of Immunoassay-Measured Fibrinogen and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels for Predicting Incident Cardiovascular Events

In this large 10-year cohort study of initially healthy middle-aged women, fibrinogen was found to add predictive value to hs-CRP and traditional risk factors.

Valsartan, Blood Pressure Reduction, and C-Reactive Protein. Primary Report of the Val-MARC Trial

New 6-week data from the Val-MARC trial on the effects of valsartan with or without diuretic, on blood pressure and hsCRP levels.

Targeting C-reactive protein for the treatment of cardiovascular disease

Pepys and colleagues from the UK describe preliminary animal studies on a specific small-molecule inhibitor of CRP which showed cardioprotective effects in acute myocardial infarction.

Non–HDL Cholesterol, Apolipoproteins A-I and B100, Standard Lipid Measures, Lipid Ratios, and CRP as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Women

New data from a prospective cohort study of over 15,000 initially healthy U.S. women directly comparing the clinical utility of different baseline lipid measures and lipid ratios, non-HDL-C, apolipoproteins and hs-CRP in predicting future cardiovascular events, and demonstrating the added prognostic information on risk obtained by hs-CRP beyond that from all lipid measures.

C-Reactive Protein and the 10-Year Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease in Older Men and Women: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Cushman and colleagues report long-term data in elderly men and women showing that additional prognostic information was gained by CRP measurement especially in men with intermediate Framingham risk and women with high Framingham risk.

C-Reactive Protein Levels and Outcomes after Statin Therapy

New evidence from a study of over 3000 patients with acute coronary syndromes showing a reduction in the rate of recurrent myocardial infarction or coronary death, attributable to low CRP levels achieved with statin therapy irrespective of the effect on LDL cholesterol levels.

Statin Therapy, LDL Cholesterol, C-Reactive Protein, and Coronary Artery Disease

In a study of about 500 patients with coronary artery disease, it was found that CRP lowering due to statin therapy was significantly and independently correlated with the rate of atherosclerosis progression, and patients achieving greater reductions in both LDL cholesterol and CRP were afforded better protection compared to those with lower reductions in both biomarkers.

Early effects of statins in patients with coronary artery disease and high C-reactive protein

This paper finds that early use of statins among those with elevated levels of CRP provides greater relative benefit, an interesting observation that is consistent with the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease.

C-Reactive Protein and Incident Cardiovascular Events Among Men With Diabetes

In this prospective study of patients with diabetes, CRP was found to be a major determinant of the risk of future cardiovascular events, even after taking into account usual risk factors, blood lipids, and glycemic control.

C-Reactive Protein Modulates Risk Prediction Based on the Framingham Score

This major European study confirms the importance of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) as an independent predictor of heart attack risk over and above traditional risk factors.