BMJ 2001;322:4-5 ( 6 January )

Editorials

The renaissance of C reactive protein

It may be a marker not only of acute illness but also of future cardiovascular disease

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

C reactive protein (CRP) has traditionally been used as an acute phase marker of tissue injury, infection, and inflammation, but the use of high sensitivity assays has recently shown that increased C reactive protein values predict future cardiovascular disease.

The C reactive protein response has no diagnostic specificity, but serial measurements can be helpful in clinical management. It is a powerful screening test for organic disease and is useful in monitoring known infectious or inflammatory diseases and their response to treatment.¹ Although a high value is unequivocal evidence of tissue damaging disease, C reactive protein values (unlike most other clinical laboratory tests) can really only be interpreted when all other clinical and laboratory information is available. Nevertheless, serial measurements of C reactive protein, added to the full clinical picture, contribute usefully to diagnosis, prognosis, and management.¹

C reactive protein is a trace protein in healthy subjects, with a median concentration . . . [Full text of this article]

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