CardioExchange Archive

October 3rd, 2012

CRP and Cholesterol Emerge as Equally Strong Predictors of Cardiovascular Risk

Paul Ridker, MD, MPH

Paul Ridker discusses findings from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration showing that C-reactive protein provides incremental risk information comparable to that of total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.

---

October 3rd, 2012

What Is the Benefit of Adding CRP to Risk Factor Assessment?

Larry Husten, PHD

In recent years, controversy has swirled around the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease and the relative worth of measuring novel risk factors like C-reactive protein (CRP). Now, in a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration provide detailed calculations that estimate the benefits of adding inflammatory markers to […]

---

March 15th, 2012

Strongest Evidence to Date for Causative Role of Inflammation in Heart Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Two large new meta-analyses published in the Lancet provide the first strong evidence demonstrating a cause-effect relationship between a specific inflammatory protein and the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). Both studies illuminate the role of interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) by focusing on the common Asp358Ala variant of the IL6R gene. The variant is known to dampen the inflammatory effect […]

---

August 26th, 2011

The Power of Zero on JUPITER

Anita Vashi, MD, MPH

This voluntary contribution from Dr. Nasir, the principal investigator of a recent study published in the Lancet, is an extension of his remarks in a recent panel discussion Background: The study showed that people with low LDL levels and high C-reactive protein levels may benefit from coronary artery calcium scans to identify the folks who are most likely to […]

---

August 22nd, 2011

CNN, ABC, and NBC Dumb Down the News About CV Screening

Larry Husten, PHD

An analysis of recent health news coverage in the mainstream media: “Exit complexity. Enter stupidity.”

---

August 22nd, 2011

Panel: Coronary Calcium vs. CRP for Predicting Cardiovascular Events

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

Drs. Paul Ridker and Sanjay Kaul offer their perspectives on a new coronary artery calcium/C-reactive protein study, published in the Lancet, and three of the study authors respond. The study showed that people with low LDL levels and high CRP levels may benefit from CAC scans to identify the folks who are most likely to […]

---

August 19th, 2011

Is Coronary Calcium Better Than CRP for Predicting CV Events?

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study suggests that people with low LDL levels and high CRP levels may benefit from coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans to identify those who are most likely to benefit from statin therapy. In a paper published in the Lancet, Michael Blaha and colleagues analyzed data from 950 people enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study […]

---

January 28th, 2011

Does CRP Level Modify the Benefit of Statins? Paul Ridker Reacts to New Data

Paul Ridker, MD, MPH

CardioExchange welcomes Paul M. Ridker, a leading researcher on the value of C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration as a prognostic marker of cardiovascular risk, to respond to the latest data on CRP and statin therapy from the Heart Protection Study (HPS). The New HPS Findings on CRP: The HPS investigators sought to determine whether statin therapy might […]

---

January 27th, 2011

HPS Results Suggest Baseline CRP Doesn’t Predict Statin Efficacy

Larry Husten, PHD

Analysis of data from the Heart Protection Study (HPS) indicates that a CRP measurement obtained at baseline does not predict the effect of statin therapy. In a paper published online in the Lancet, the HPS Collaborative Group report the results of the more than 20,000-patient HPS study based on CRP category at baseline. As previously reported, […]

---

July 22nd, 2010

HDL and Residual Risk: A Surprising Finding in JUPITER

Larry Husten, PHD

CardioExchange welcomes Dr. Paul Ridker to answer questions about his recent paper in the Lancet, which analyzed data from JUPITER and found that HDL may not predict residual risk in patients on high-dose statins who reach very low LDL levels such as those achieved in the treatment group in JUPITER. The findings may surprise some readers, though […]

---