Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of premature death and disability worldwide. There is extensive evidence that inflammation represents an important pathogenetic mechanism in the development and prognosis of CVD. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a potential marker of vascular inflammation and plays a direct role in CVD by promoting vascular inflammation. The objective of this study (ClinTrials.gov identifier: NCT01045070) was to assess the prognostic impact of CRP protein levels and genetic variants of CRP gene events on cardiovascular (CV) outcome (10-year follow-up) in patients suffering from CVD. METHODS: CVD patients were prospectively included in this study (n = 1002) and followed up (10 years) regarding combined CV endpoint (CV death, death from stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA)). CRP protein level (particle-enhanced immunological turbidity test) and genetic variants (rs1130864, rs1417938, rs1800947, rs3093077; polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) after DNA extraction from EDTA-blood) were evaluated. RESULTS: In survival analyses, increased CRP protein levels of ≥5 mg/L (log-rank test: p < 0.001, Cox regression: p = 0.002, hazard ratio = 1.49) and CT + TT genotype of rs1130864 (log-rank test: p = 0.041; Cox regression: p = 0.103, hazard ratio = 1.21) were associated with a weaker CV prognosis considering combined CV endpoint. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated CRP level and genetic variant (rs1130864) were proven to provide prognostic value for adverse outcome in CVD patients within the 10-year follow-up period.