C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Seen as Key Indicator
of Heart Disease Risk

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Media Contact:
Lynn Closway
Mayo Clinic
480-301-4222
closway.lynn@mayo.edu

For Immediate Release - August 12, 2004

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - In addition to monitoring lipid, or cholesterol, levels, Mayo Clinic cardiologists have begun ordering a new screening test for heart disease risk, called high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP, an acute phase protein made by the liver in response to inflammation, has been found to be elevated in patients who are developing diseases the blood vessels of the heart (cardiac atherosclerosis). An elevated CRP level increases the risk for creating arteriosclerosis and plaque rupture that causes heart attack.

An elevated CRP level can predict long-term risk for cardiovascular disease, independent of age, lipid levels, hypertension, diabetes and tobacco use. A significant number of people who develop heart disease - 10 to 15 percent - have no identifiable risk factors. Of those, a majority will have an elevated CRP. In addition to cardiology, the Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program has also begun screening for CRP levels.

"In cardiology, the future of bringing health care costs down is prevention," says Christopher Appleton, M.D., professor of medicine and chair of Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. "We are looking to identify those patients without the obvious risk factors, who still develop heart disease. An elevated CRP indicating chronic inflammation appears to be a warning flag even when cholesterol levels appear relatively normal."

Elevated CRP levels are not always related to heart attack risk. CRP may be temporarily elevated due to an infection or chronicically increased in conditions such as arthritis. Therefore, when a high CRP level is reported, a repeat test should be taken in another two weeks.

For those with an unexplained elevated CRP, dietary and exercise modifications can lower the level. In some patients, the presence of an elevated CRP level, in conjunction with other indicators of cardiovascular disease can guide treatment in terms of medication, especially cholesterol lowering medicines.

"It's important that people know this indicator exists," says Dr. Appleton. "Everyone knows about cholesterol and its relationship to heart disease risk. Coronary artery disease is an inflammatory condition. Therefore, keeping an eye on both the risk for inflammation and for developing plaque in the arteries is critical to helping us identify, prevent and treat cardiovascular disease."

Mayo Clinic is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus on individual patient needs. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 202-licensed bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

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