C-Reactive Protein, Subclinical Atherosclerosis, and Risk of Cardiovascular Events

reactive protein (CRP) is an independent determinant of risk of stroke among both men and women.For instance, in the Framingham Study, the relative risk for future stroke for the highest quartile of CRP compared with the lowest was 2.0 for men and 2.7 for women. 1 The association between CRP and risk of stroke among men and women in this cohort persisted after adjustment for age, smoking, total cholesterol: HDL cholesterol ratio, systolic blood pressure, and diabetes.1 Similarly, in the Physicians' Health Study, men in the highest quartile of CRP also had a 2-fold increased risk of stroke compared with the lowest quartile, 2 while in the Women's Health Study women in the top quartile of CRP had a more than 3-fold increased risk of stroke.