Measuring Several Inflammatory Markers Rather Than a Single Marker Offers Better Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Jan 24, 2006 - 6:04:00 PM
, Reviewed by: Sanjukta Acharya
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Currently, medical guidelines recommend measuring a particular inflammatory marker, called C-reactive protein, along with cholesterol levels, for assessing CVD risk.
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By University of Pittsburgh,
[RxPG] Measuring levels of several inflammatory markers rather than a single marker can substantially improve assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, according to a study published in the November issue of the American Heart Journal by University of Pittsburgh researchers and others.
Currently, medical guidelines recommend measuring a particular inflammatory marker, called C-reactive protein, along with cholesterol levels, for assessing CVD risk. In this study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Cardiovascular Institute and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) analyzed blood samples taken from 580 women age 31 to 85 looking for multiple inflammatory markers. The investigators also performed coronary angiographies to detect any blockage of blood vessels in the heart and then followed the women for an average of almost five years. Of interest to the researchers was whether the women experienced any heart attacks (both nonfatal and fatal), strokes, or episodes of congestive heart failure.
Women with significantly elevated levels of at least two of three markers (interleukin-6, serum amyloid A, and C-reactive protein) had a more than four-times greater risk of dying compared to women who had no elevated markers. According to the lead author, Kevin E. Kip, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology, GSPH, this was a higher conferred risk than any single marker alone, all of which were roughly equally predictive.
Surprisingly, the authors, which also included researchers from the American Cardiovascular Research Institute, the University of Florida College of Medicine and Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, suggest the negative effects of inflammation on CVD may be largely due to other mechanisms than the most widely accepted theory of the effects of inflammation on CVD -- promoting the buildup of plaques in the inner linings of arteries. Rather, they said inflammation may potentially lead to the destabilization of vulnerable plaques.
Publication:
November issue of the American Heart Journal
On the web:
www.upmc.edu 
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Additional information about the news article
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The University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences include the schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the Graduate School of Public Health. The schools serve as the academic partner to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Together, their combined mission is to train tomorrow's health care specialists and biomedical scientists, engage in groundbreaking research that will advance understanding of the causes and treatments of disease, and participate in the delivery of outstanding patient care. In fiscal year 2004, Pitt and its institutional affiliates ranked 7th nationally among educational institutions in grant support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Approximately 93 percent of this $396 million in NIH support went to the Schools of the Health Sciences and their affiliates.
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