title: C-reactive protein (CRP) in the cardiovascular system.
abstract: CRP (C-reactive protein) is an acute-phase reactant, the levels of which increase dramatically in response to severe bacterial infection, physical trauma, and other inflammatory conditions. CRP is found in human atherosclerotic lesions. Atherosclerosis is clearly multifactorial in origin, and chronic inflammation is an important component in its pathogenesis. Focus on inflammation is critical in research on atherosclerosis. Elevated levels of CRP have been associated with increased risk of future coronary artery disease (CAD) events. I have summarized the recent literature on CRP studies in CAD. Both coronary heart disease and dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) result in congestive heart failure due to myocardial damage. The inflammatory state produced by myocarditis of viral or other origin may induce advanced myocardial damage, resulting in heart failure with a poor prognosis. Routine CRP measurement proved to be valuable for identifying high-risk patients with DCM and lymphocytic myocarditis. I suggest that measurement of circulating CRP would be useful for the diagnosis of and for selecting therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanda
mesh_terms: D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000097:blood; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000737:chemistry*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein