Inflammation & Heart Health: Risks for Women
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Inflammation Linked to Heart attacks in Healthy Women
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Hello to the readers of Health Rounds! Today, we present two new studies presented to the European Cardiology Society in Madrid, one relating to the effect of inflammation on heart disease in healthy women, and the other on the effectiveness of an injectable drug administered twice a year in the event of persistent hypercholesterolemia.
Inflammation and Heart Attacks in Women: The Study
According to researchers, inflammation coudl explain why heart attacks and strokes occur in women who have none of the usual risk factors.
Women victims of heart attacks or brain vascular accidents frequently enough present none of the main risk factors for major cardiovascular events, such as high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and smoking, researchers stated during the European Cardiology Society meeting in Madrid.
For three decades, researchers followed 12,530 women initially in good health and presenting none of the traditional risk factors, according to a study report published in the European Heart Journal.
women who started the study with high levels of an inflammation marker called C-reactive protein (CRP), measured by a high-sensitivity test, presented an increased risk of 77% coronary disease, 39% stroke, and 52% of any major cardiovascular event during their lifetime, compared to women whose CRP rate was lower.
High levels on the high-sensitivity test were defined as greater than 3 milligrams per liter of blood.
Understanding C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. A high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) test can detect even low levels of inflammation, which might potentially be indicative of underlying cardiovascular risk. It’s critically important to note that CRP levels can be elevated due to various factors, including infection, autoimmune diseases, and even lifestyle factors like obesity and smoking.Therefore,hs-CRP is best used as part of a complete risk assessment.
An observational study like this cannot prove that inflammation is the cause of cardiovascular events. However, it is well known that over time, even low