AHA/CDC panel issues recommendations on CRP testing - Proteomics - American Heart Association - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - C-reactive protein test

Medical Laboratory Observer, March, 2003

A panel of experts convened by the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending limited use of a new blood test that has been widely promoted for assessing heart disease risk--the highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test. Several studies have shown that increased concentrations of CRP, a inflammatory marker found in the blood, appear to be associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease, sudden death and peripheral arterial disease.

Thomas A. Pearson, M.D., Ph.D., co-chair of the AHA/CDC writing group that crafted the new recommendations, says there is "no need for hs-CRP screening of the entire adult population as a public-health measure." Pearson says the test might be useful when a physician is undecided about a course of treatment for a patient who is considered intermediate risk.