Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S., according to "MedlinePlus." Risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the coronary arteries, include your family history, underlying health conditions and lifestyle patterns. Inflammation is increasingly recognized as an additional risk factor, and can be tested for by measuring C-reactive protein in the blood.
Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary, or cardiovascular, heart disease occurs when there is narrowing of the blood vessels that carry oxygen to the heart. The most common cause of coronary heart disease is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is caused by a build-up of fatty substances along the blood vessel walls, which obstruct blood flow and can lead to damage of the heart muscle. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include increasing age, family history of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, a diet high in saturated fats and lack of exercise, according to "MedlinePlus."
Inflammation
Increasing laboratory and clinical evidence points to inflammation playing a significant role in the development of atherosclerosis, according to the American Heart Association. Inflammation is how your body reacts to infection or injury, using a combination of blood chemicals, proteins and inflammatory cells. Smoking, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels can all elicit low-level inflammatory reactions that are detectable with C-reactive protein.
C-Reactive Protein
C-reactive protein, or CRP, normally circulates in your bloodstream in very low levels, and increases as part of the body's response to any inflammatory process. A standard test for CRP has been commonly used in the past to detect inflammatory conditions like arthritis or hidden infection, but is not accurate at very low levels, according to "Lab Tests Online." To measure the very slight increases in CRP associated with cardiovascular disease, a modified CRP test with higher sensitivity, or hs-CRP, needs to be performed.
Cardiac Risk and HS-CRP
Elevated hs-CRP levels are associated with a greater risk of heart attack and stroke, and hs-CRP results are increasingly used as a predictor of risk for coronary heart disease. If your hs-CRP level is less than 1.0 mg/L, you have a lower than average risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Levels greater than 3.0 mg/L are associated with a higher than average risk, and levels between 1.0 and 3.0 mg/L an average risk. For the hs-CRP test to be valid for risk assessment, you must be in good health without recent infection, injury or other inflammatory condition. If you are taking anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, or statins for cholesterol control your hs-CRP result may be lower due to these medications.
Response to Elevated HS-CRP
If you discover you have an elevated hs-CRP as part of a risk assessment for heart disease, talk with your health care practitioner. Lifestyle changes can directly lower your risks, including regular exercise, a low fat healthy diet, quitting smoking and losing weight. Medications might also be prescribed to help lower cholesterol levels and suppress inflammation.
