New heart disease risk factors in doubt

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Levels of C-reactive protein and other markers do not seem to be predictive of heart disease over other risk factors.
We already know some of the risk factors involved in heart disease - high cholesterol, obesity and so on. In recent years, researchers have been looking at more subtle 'markers' - proteins in the blood which, if elevated, may reveal increased heart risk. One of these is C-reactive protein (CRP).

To test the value of CRP as a marker, doctors at the University of Minnesota looked at a group of nearly 16,000 patients. They measured CRP and 18 other markers and then followed patients for five years. Neither CRP nor any other marker seemed predictive of who would develop heart disease. That's not to say that CRP isn't linked to heart disease - studies have found that it is. More research is needed to determine its role and whether it is predictive in certain sub-groups of the population. Meanwhile, more can be done with the traditional risk factors - helping people get their blood pressure and cholesterol under control, for example.

Source
Archives of Internal Medicine 10th July 2006 Volume 166 pages 1342-1344