C-reactive protein in cardiovascular risk assessment: a review of the evidence.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory biomarker that is strongly associated with coronary heart disease, inflammation, and the metabolic syndrome. Large-scale prospective cohort trials have shown that measurement of CRP may add predictive accuracy to the Framingham risk score, but interpretation of these data are conflicting. In the primary prevention setting, CRP can be used to reclassify patients in low or intermediate Framingham risk score groups to a higher risk category, thus making them eligible for more intensive pharmacologic interventions.