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C-Reactive Protein & Congestive Heart Failure

Oct 21, 2010 | By Carrie Quinn
C-Reactive Protein & Congestive Heart Failure
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Statistics from the American Heart Association for 2010 estimate that 5.3 million Americans are living with heart failure. Unfortunately, this disease has a very low survival rate that suggests more than 20 percent of individuals will die within one year of the initial diagnosis. Using physiologic markers of disease is one way for physicians to determine the risk of impending cardiac events such as heart attack and sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure

C-Reactive Protein

C-reactive protein, or CRP, is a potent biological marker of inflammation produced in the liver and transported in the blood to the site of inflammation. During physiologic distress such as inflammation or infection, blood levels of CRP in can increase one thousand-fold. Unlike cardiac-specific biomarkers, elevation in CRP identifies inflammation in the body but does not pinpoint the exact location of the inflammation. For this reason, elevated levels of CRP cannot conclusively indicate the presence of cardiovascular disease, but a strong correlation does exist.

C-Reactive Protein and Heart Failure

Elevated levels of CRP have been linked to an increased risk of death in patients with heart failure. A 2009 study in the journal "Circulation: Heart Failure" indicated that CRP is a useful prognostic tool to determine the risk of recurrent cardiac events and death from heart failure. Moreover, when CRP was examined in conjunction with cardiac-specific biomarkers, the ability to accurately evaluate a patient's risk of death increased further

C-Reactive Protein as a Risk Factor

While the link between CRP and heart attack is well established in individuals with known heart disease, the connection between CRP and the potential for developing cardiovascular disease in apparently healthy individuals is not as clearly defined. A 2010 review of cardiac biomarkers in the journal "Coronary Artery Disease" included CRP as a compelling predictor of new cardiac events independent of other signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease. However, more research needs to be conducted to determine if this biomarker is significant for both genders and across all age groups.

Testing for C-Reactive Protein

Because CRP is not a cardiac-specific indicator of inflammation, not everyone is a good candidate for testing. The American Heart Association indicates CRP testing is most useful in individuals with a 10 to 20 percent chance of having a heart attack within the next 10 years based on other risk factors such as lifestyle choices, family history and current health status. For individuals with less than 10 percent chance of developing heart disease, levels of CRP in the blood are not able to be correlated specifically with cardiovascular issues. In contrast, individuals at high risk for developing heart disease within 10 years should be receiving medical guidance regardless of CRP levels.

C-Reactive Protein in Disease

While elevated CRP levels can indicate inflammation related to the cardiovascular system, it can also be used as a diagnostic tool for other inflammatory conditions. CRP can be used as biomarker for various cancers, connective tissue diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, Lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, among other conditions. In addition to these diseases, the National Institutes of Health points out that elevated CRP is also evident in the final stages of pregnancy and with the use of some forms of birth control. To have the greatest prognostic value, it is important to consider the results of CRP testing in conjunction with other assessments of cardiovascular risk.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Oct 21, 2010

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