Does achieving low CRP levels after statin therapy improve clinical outcomes compared to higher CRP levels in patients receiving statins?
Monitoring and targeting CRP levels, in addition to LDL cholesterol, may be important for optimizing cardiovascular risk reduction with statin therapy.
Patients who have low CRP levels after statin therapy have better clinical outcomes than those with higher CRP levels, regardless of the resultant level of LDL cholesterol. Strategies to lower cardiovascular risk with statins should include monitoring CRP as well as cholesterol.
Ridker et al. (Wed,) studied this question.