MONDAY, Aug. 19, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- A test to find high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) helps detect heart disease before there are any symptoms, says a report in today's rapid access issue of Circulation.
In the study, researchers examined the link between high levels of CRP, a marker of inflammation, and coronary calcium, which indicates the amount of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries.
Atherosclerosis refers to fatty build-up in the arteries, and is a sign of heart disease.
"While the majority of men and women in our study had some calcium in their arteries, the higher the C-reactive protein level, the more calcium they had," says lead author Dr. Thomas J. Wang, a researcher fellow with the Framingham Heart Study at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The study included 321 people, average age 60, who've been part of the Framingham Heart Study since 1971. Blood tests were done to determine their CRP levels, and they were given electron beam computed tomography scans to check calcium levels in their coronary arteries.
The researchers found that people with elevated CRP seemed to have or develop more coronary calcium.
"It has been known that inflammation plays a role in coronary artery disease, but the link between the level of this marker of inflammation and the actual presence of calcium in the coronary arteries is a new finding," Wang says.
More information
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has additional facts on coronary artery disease.
