High levels of hsCRP indicates risk in women without any of the four standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — High levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) can identify cardiovascular risk among women who do not have any of the four standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs): hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking, according to a study published online Aug. 29 in the European Heart Journal.
Paul M. Ridker, M.D., M.P.H., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined the utility of hsCRP to detect cardiovascular risk in SMuRF-less women. hsCRP was measured at baseline among 12,530 initially healthy American women who were followed for first major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) over 30 years.
The researchers found that 973 first MACEs were accrued during 30-year follow-up. SMuRF-less women who subsequently suffered a cardiovascular event had significantly higher median baseline hsCRP than those who did not (median, 2.22 versus 1.50 mg/L). The hazard ratios for the primary end point of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) were 1.0 (referent), 1.24 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 1.74), 1.41 (95 percent CI, 1.02 to 1.96), 1.57 (95 percent CI, 1.14 to 2.16), and 2.23 (95 percent CI, 1.65 to 3.03) for the lowest to highest levels of hsCRP at study entry in age-adjusted analyses; for each increasing quintile of hsCRP, CHD risk increased 21 percent over 30 years. Compared with those with hsCRP <1 mg/L, SMuRF-less women with hsCRP >3 mg/L had a 77, 39, and 52 percent higher risk for CHD events, ischemic stroke events, and total cardiovascular disease events, respectively.
“Our data clearly show that apparently healthy women who are inflamed are at substantial lifetime risk. We should be identifying these women in their 40s, at a time when they can initiate preventive care,” Ridker said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.
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