Study questions widespread use of C-reactive protein test to assess cardiovas...( Dr. Miller and his team examined ...),Health

Dr. Miller and his team examined data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted between 1988 and 1994. NHANES III measured CRP levels and heart disease risk factors including smoking, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels, diabetes, body mass index and physical activity.

"We looked at high CRP and compared its prevalence with and without other risk factors for heart disease," says Dr. Miller. Overall, 25.7 percent of the people in the study had elevated CRP, including 8.7 percent who had no other risk factors. African-Americans had higher CRP levels than Caucasians. The analysis found a high CRP level in 77.8 percent of men and 66.7 percent of women who had at least one risk factor for heart disease.

The presence of at least one of those risk factors, either in the borderline or abnormal range, resulted in a nearly three-fold higher prevalence of CRP compared to people in the study who never smoked, were not overweight and had normal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. "The surprising finding in our analysis was the very high percentage of elevated CRP that was directly attributable to conventional risk factors," says Dr. Miller.

A look at body mass index in the NHANES III survey illustrates how risk factors can influence CRP levels. The index can indicate whether a person is obese, overweight, underweight or normal. CRP levels were prevalent in 14.7 percent of people with a normal body mass index, but were found in 26 percent of people who were categorized as overweight. The percentage jumped to 46.6 percent among people whose body mass index put them in the obese range.

Numerous experts have been debating the use of the relatively inexpensive CRP blood test as a general screening tool for coronary heart disease, both pro and con. Some say CRP can help identify certain patients at risk for heart dis
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Contact: Bill Seiler
bseiler@umm.edu
410-328-8919
University of Maryland Medical Center
10-Oct-2005

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