Tag: C-reactive protein

Categories : Cardiovascular DiseaseTags :

The Cardiovascular Disease and Inflammation Link is ‘Clinically Actionable’

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Human heart. Credit: Scientific Animations CC4.0

A new ACC Scientific Statement on Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) highlights new groundbreaking research linking inflammation atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and provides consensus-based recommendations for evaluation, treatment and prevention reflecting this new era.

“The evidence linking inflammation with ASCVD is no longer exploratory but is compelling and clinically actionable,” write the authors, led by Writing Committee Chair George A. Mensah, MD, FACC. “The time for taking action has now arrived.”

Published in JACC, the Statement includes specific recommendations for screening, evaluation, and CVD risk assessment; inflammatory biomarkers in cardiovascular imaging; inflammation inhibition in behavioural and lifestyle risks; and anti-inflammatory approaches in primary and secondary prevention, as well as in heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.

Among the key takeaways:

  • High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an inexpensive and widely available blood test. While there has been debate within the medical community regarding the utility of hsCRP, this statement details the data confirming its value in clinical decision making in primary and secondary prevention.
  • In patients with known CVD, hsCRP level is at least as predictive of future events as LDL cholesterol levels, even in patients treated with statin therapy.
  • The important role of lifestyle interventions to reduce systemic inflammation is emphasised, including regular exercise (at least 150 minutes/week), Mediterranean or DASH Diet, and intake of omega-3 fatty acids, including two to three meals per week of fatty fish high in EPA and DHA. This advice aligns with lifestyle management recommendations in the 2025 ACC/AHA High Blood Pressure Guideline

The Statement also discusses current challenges and opportunities based on the new evidence, exploring topics like the advancing field of cardioimmunology and areas for further research, such as the interplay between inflammation and key physiological systems, the role of novel special pro-resolving bioactive lipid molecules in promoting the resolution of inflammation and CVD risk reduction, and more.

The authors close with a call for action to “embrace anti-inflammatory interventions in patients with established ASCVD” and for clinical practice guidelines that implement “broad screening of primary and secondary prevention patients for hsCRP, in combination with LDL cholesterol.” Additionally, they note: “The time is also ripe for the development of strategies to promote increased physician awareness of the crucial role of inflammation in CVD and accelerate the adoption of evidence-based, guideline-directed anti-inflammatory therapy through dissemination and implementation research.”

Read the full statement.

Source: American College of Cardiology

Categories : Lab Tests and Imaging Metabolic DisordersTags :

New, More Accurate Approach to Blood Tests for Determining Diabetes Risks

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

A new approach to blood tests could potentially be used to estimate a patient’s risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study appearing in BMC’s Journal of Translational Medicine. Currently, the most commonly used inflammatory biomarker currently used to predict the risk of type 2 diabetes is high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). But new research has suggested that jointly assessing of biomarkers, rather than assessing each individually, would improve the chances of predicting diabetes risk and diabetic complications.

A study by Edith Cowan University (ECU) researcher Dan Wu investigated the connection between systematic inflammation, assessed by joint cumulative high-sensitivity CRP and another biomarker called monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR), and incident type 2 diabetes.

The study followed more than 40 800 non-diabetic participants over a near ten-year period, with more than 4800 of the participants developing diabetes over this period.

Wu said that of those patients presenting with type 2 diabetes, significant interaction between MHR and CRP was observed.

“Specifically, increases in the MHR in each CRP stratum increased the risk of type 2 diabetes; concomitant increases in MHR and CRP presented significantly higher incidence rates and risks of diabetes.

“Furthermore, the association between chronic inflammation (reflected by the joint cumulative MHR and CRP exposure) and incident diabetes was highly age- and sex-specific and influenced by hypertension, high cholesterol, or prediabetes. The addition of the MHR and CRP to the clinical risk model significantly improved the prediction of incident diabetes,” said Wu.

Biological sex a risk factor

The study found that females had a greater risk of type 2 diabetes conferred by joint increases in CRP and MHR, with Wu stating that sex hormones could account for these differences.

Wu said that the research findings corroborated the involvement of chronic inflammation in causing early-onset diabetes and merited specific attention.

“Epidemiological evidence indicates a consistent increase in early-onset diabetes, especially in developing countries. Leveraging this age-specific association between chronic inflammation and type 2 diabetes may be a promising method for achieving early identification of at-risk young adults and developing personalised interventions,” she added.

Wu noted that the chronic progressive nature of diabetes and the enormous burden of subsequent comorbidities further highlighted the urgent need to address this critical health issue.

Although aging and genetics are non-modifiable risk factors, other risk factors could be modified through lifestyle changes.

Inflammation is strongly influenced by life activities and metabolic conditions such as diet, sleep disruptions, chronic stress, and glucose and cholesterol dysregulation, thereby indicating the potential benefits of monitoring risk-related metabolic conditions.

Wu said that the dual advantages of cost effectiveness and the wide availability of cumulative MHR and CRP in current clinical settings, potentiated the widespread use of these measures as a convenient tool for predicting the risk of diabetes.

Source: Edith Cowan University

Categories : AgeingTags :

Inflammatory Markers Found in Socially Isolated Older Adults

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Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels

New research from the US has found that older adults who experienced social isolation had higher blood levels of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein, two markers of inflammation that can have long-term negative impacts for the health of individuals as they age.

Social isolation is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality comparable to well-established risk factors including smoking, hypertension, and a sedentary lifestyle. The specific biological mechanisms that connect social isolation to morbidity and mortality remain unclear. 

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), which included a nationally representative sample of 4648 Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. The researchers defined social isolation with a multi-domained typology that considers living arrangement, core discussion network, religious attendance, and social participation
The authors noted that clinical and social interventions that address social isolation among older adults may influence biological processes such as inflammation, as well as their potentially negative effects.

Credit: JAGS

“Our findings demonstrate an important association between social isolation and biological processes. This work is a step in the journey to disentangle the mechanisms by which social isolation leads to higher levels of morbidity and mortality,” said lead author Thomas K.M. Cudjoe, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “My hope is that investigators incorporate objective measures of social isolation and biological markers in future longitudinal studies so that we might continue to advance our understanding of these complex biopsychosocial interactions.”

Source: Wiley