C-Reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease

"C-Reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease", edited by Drs Paul Ridker and Nader Rifai from the Harvard Medical School, is the first comprehensive review of inflammation, heart disease, and the clinical application of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) to daily practice.

Multiple studies now show hsCRP to be a powerful predictor of future cardiovascular events even when cholesterol levels are low, a crucial issue for clinicians and patients as half of all heart attacks and strokes occur among apparently healthy men and women without hyperlipidemia. In this new book, evidence gained over the past decade that has transitioned hsCRP from a research tool into broad clinical use is reviewed in detail, including overviews of both inflammation and hsCRP in primary prevention, acute ischemia, and the targeting of multiple therapeutic interventions. Also addressed are up-to-date findings evaluating environmental and genetic determinants of hsCRP, pharmacologic trials addressing the potential for CRP reduction, and issues related to the laboratory evaluation of hsCRP and its formal use in modern global prediction models designed to detect high risk for cardiovascular disease.

While targeted to physicians involved in primary care, general internal medicine, and cardiology who are committed to heart disease treatment and prevention, "C-Reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease" will also be of interest to those concerned with the diagnosis, prevention, and pathogenesis of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and heart failure, all of which are now understood to have important inflammatory components."