Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level measurement in predicting coronary artery disease (CAD) that can be shown angiographically. CRP levels were determined in the blood of 198 patients (patients group, PG) with angiographically documented coronary artery disease and compared with that of 85 patients (control group, CG) who had a clinical indication for coronary angiography but have no angiographically determined coronary artery stenosis, as well as with that of 41 healthy volunteers as a healthy control group (HG) who did not have any complaint and did not have coronary angiography. CRP levels were measured 24 hours prior to angiography in PG and CG patients, and in the morning after not having eaten for same time. Any coronary artery stenosis or plaque formation was defined as CAD. Severity of the disease was assessed by both the number of diseased vessels (0 to 3) and the degree of stenosis (<50% mild, 50-70% moderate and >70% severe). Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves of CRP in angiographically documented CAD group showed a diagnostic value of 0.659 in female patients, followed by 0.542 in male patients, in predicting CAD. CRP levels were found to be significantly different between groups, higher in PG (6.2 +/- 0.86 mg/L) than those of CG (3.7 +/- 0.92 mg/L) and HG (0.854 +/- 0.2 mg/L) (p<0.05). CRP levels were not associated with the number of diseased vessels, neither with the degree of the occlusion (p>0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis after adjustment for the established coronary risk factors showed CRP as an independent discriminating risk factor for CAD. It is concluded that CRP measurement has a value in predicting the presence of angiographically documented CAD. However, CRP levels were not associated with the degree or severity of CAD.
Highlights
Many lines of evidence, ranging from in vitro experiments to pathological analysis and epidemiological studies show that atherosclerosis is an intrinsically inflammatory disease.Over the last few years, C-reactive protein (CRP) assays have been tested in a series of large-scale prospective clinical studies which demonstrated the importance of this marker in predicting risk of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular diseases
The study was designed to evaluate the serum CRP levels of individuals of three different groups. 198 patients were included in the Patient Group (PG) who had documented coronary artery disease (CAD) proven by coronary angiography
Smokers consisted of 47 % in the PG, 16% in the Control Group (CG), and 37 % in healthy control group (HG) (Table 1)
Summary
Many lines of evidence, ranging from in vitro experiments to pathological analysis and epidemiological studies show that atherosclerosis is an intrinsically inflammatory disease.Over the last few years, C-reactive protein (CRP) assays have been tested in a series of large-scale prospective clinical studies which demonstrated the importance of this marker in predicting risk of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular diseases. It is increasingly recognised that CRP may not merely represent an indication of inflammation but may because of its known functional properties, be actively involved in the initiation or perpetuation of local inflammatory reactions [11,26]. All of the potential triggers of inflammation are not fully known, and cytokines, oxidized lipoproteins, and local (arterial) and distant infections (gingivitis, bronchitis) have been implicated, the circulating CRP, an acute phase reactant produced by the liver in response to interleukin-6 (a cytokine induced by interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha), has the most consistent relationship to the future risk of CAD, under diverse clinical settings [4,25,27]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
