Inflammation is one way the body responds to infection or injury. We are all aware of the classic symptoms of an inflammatory immune response - redness, raised patches on the skin, and swelling. But inflammation can occur at low levels over long periods of time in our cardiovascular system, a condition known as chronic inflammation.
You may not 'feel' this type of inflammation, but scientists believe chronic inflammation is involved in the development of heart disease. It can lead to damage to blood vessels and atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and obesity.
Chronic inflammation in the blood vessels can be caused by smoking, hypertension and the injury to the vessels that results from it, oxidative stress, and high blood glucose.
Although the 'lipid hypothesis' is the most commonly recognized explanation for why we develop cardiovascular diseases, many people who have normal blood lipid levels still have heart attacks, strokes, and develop atherosclerosis and other vessel diseases. Inflammation and the resulting damage to blood vessels may be one explanation for these cases which are unexplained by blood lipids.
How is Inflammation Measured?
Inflammation is an immune response and, as such, involves very complex cellular activity and pathways. Many events within the vascular system can lead to the production of inflammatory substances. And the release of these substances leads to additional cellular events and responses.
Scientists have identified certain substances as markers of inflammation. In other words, when inflammation occurs, the level of these substances goes up as part of the immune response. One such substance is C-reactive protein (CRP.)
People who have high levels of CRP are more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. As with any biomarker, it is not fully known whether high levels of CRP cause damage and subsequent disease or whether high levels of CRP just happen to coincide with other events that occur in heart disease and cause the damage.
Other substances have also been identified as possible markers of inflammation when determining cardiovascular disease risk. These include SAA, sICAM-1, IL-6 and IL-18.
Should You Have a CRP Blood Test?
Even if CRP isn't the actual cause of disease, it can still be important to know a patient's blood level of CRP. Research has shown that when CRP levels are taken into account, a patient's overall risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease is more accurately determined than with tests of blood lipids levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) alone.
Although the American Heart Association does not define chronic inflammation or CRP levels as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, they have noted the importance of blood tests for CRP. While CRP is not recommended as a screening tool for heart disease risk for everyone, a CRP blood test can be helpful in determining how to treat an individual who is already at an increased risk for heart disease.
When measuring CRP in the blood, a test known as the highly sensitive C-reactive protein test (hs-CRP) is performed. The American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control agreed to the following translations of CRP blood levels:
Low risk: 3.0 mg/L
Inflammation and Other Vessel Diseases
Heart attack and stroke aren't the only conditions that may be affected by the level of CRP in the blood. This isn't surprising considering that the health of blood vessels is important to all body systems. Vascular dementia and cerebral small vessel disease have been found to be related to higher blood levels of CRP.
Should You Try to Lower CRP?
Because of the strong relationship between high levels of CRP and risk of heart diseases, scientists are studying whether treating individuals to lower CRP levels will result in lower risk. For example, statins (one class of cholesterol reducing medications) have been shown to lower CRP levels and some studies indicate that people with normal blood lipids can still benefit from statin therapy resulting in lowered blood CRP.
Based on the existing evidence, however, the American Heart Association does not advocate CRP-lowering treatments to reduce heart disease risk. This is an active area of research, though, and it is possible that in the future there will be commonly available treatments to lower CRP.
You may not 'feel' this type of inflammation, but scientists believe chronic inflammation is involved in the development of heart disease. It can lead to damage to blood vessels and atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and obesity.
Chronic inflammation in the blood vessels can be caused by smoking, hypertension and the injury to the vessels that results from it, oxidative stress, and high blood glucose.
Although the 'lipid hypothesis' is the most commonly recognized explanation for why we develop cardiovascular diseases, many people who have normal blood lipid levels still have heart attacks, strokes, and develop atherosclerosis and other vessel diseases. Inflammation and the resulting damage to blood vessels may be one explanation for these cases which are unexplained by blood lipids.
How is Inflammation Measured?
Inflammation is an immune response and, as such, involves very complex cellular activity and pathways. Many events within the vascular system can lead to the production of inflammatory substances. And the release of these substances leads to additional cellular events and responses.
Scientists have identified certain substances as markers of inflammation. In other words, when inflammation occurs, the level of these substances goes up as part of the immune response. One such substance is C-reactive protein (CRP.)
People who have high levels of CRP are more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. As with any biomarker, it is not fully known whether high levels of CRP cause damage and subsequent disease or whether high levels of CRP just happen to coincide with other events that occur in heart disease and cause the damage.
Other substances have also been identified as possible markers of inflammation when determining cardiovascular disease risk. These include SAA, sICAM-1, IL-6 and IL-18.
Should You Have a CRP Blood Test?
Even if CRP isn't the actual cause of disease, it can still be important to know a patient's blood level of CRP. Research has shown that when CRP levels are taken into account, a patient's overall risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease is more accurately determined than with tests of blood lipids levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) alone.
Although the American Heart Association does not define chronic inflammation or CRP levels as independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, they have noted the importance of blood tests for CRP. While CRP is not recommended as a screening tool for heart disease risk for everyone, a CRP blood test can be helpful in determining how to treat an individual who is already at an increased risk for heart disease.
When measuring CRP in the blood, a test known as the highly sensitive C-reactive protein test (hs-CRP) is performed. The American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control agreed to the following translations of CRP blood levels:
Low risk: 3.0 mg/L
Inflammation and Other Vessel Diseases
Heart attack and stroke aren't the only conditions that may be affected by the level of CRP in the blood. This isn't surprising considering that the health of blood vessels is important to all body systems. Vascular dementia and cerebral small vessel disease have been found to be related to higher blood levels of CRP.
Should You Try to Lower CRP?
Because of the strong relationship between high levels of CRP and risk of heart diseases, scientists are studying whether treating individuals to lower CRP levels will result in lower risk. For example, statins (one class of cholesterol reducing medications) have been shown to lower CRP levels and some studies indicate that people with normal blood lipids can still benefit from statin therapy resulting in lowered blood CRP.
Based on the existing evidence, however, the American Heart Association does not advocate CRP-lowering treatments to reduce heart disease risk. This is an active area of research, though, and it is possible that in the future there will be commonly available treatments to lower CRP.
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