Biasucci L M, Giubilato G, Graziani F, Piro M
Institute of Cardiology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Lupus. 2005;14(9):752-5. doi: 10.1191/0961203305lu2214oa.
In recent years a growing body of evidence has emphasized the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a marker of future cardiovascular events. CRP is a pentameric molecule widely utilized as a marker of infections and inflammation. The evidence that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and in plaque destabilization has lead to use of CRP as a marker of cardiovascular disease as well. First described as a component of the inflammatory pathway in acute coronary syndromes, CRP has been consistently found to be associated with the risk of future events in no-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes, independently of other risk factors, including troponine. Subsequently CRP has been described as a powerful marker of risk of future events in large populations of apparently healthy subjects. So far there is very little doubt that CRP represents a reliable marker of cardiovascular events, but some issues remain unanswered such as why CRP is a good marker of cardiovascular events and whether or not a better inflammatory marker exists. It must be stressed that CRP, because of its analytical and biological properties and the large amount of available data, is the only inflammatory marker accepted for clinical use.
近年来，越来越多的证据强调了C反应蛋白（CRP）作为未来心血管事件标志物的作用。CRP是一种五聚体分子，被广泛用作感染和炎症的标志物。炎症在冠状动脉疾病发病机制和斑块不稳定中起重要作用的证据，也导致CRP被用作心血管疾病的标志物。CRP最初被描述为急性冠状动脉综合征炎症途径的一个组成部分，一直以来都发现它与非ST段抬高急性冠状动脉综合征未来事件的风险相关，独立于其他危险因素，包括肌钙蛋白。随后，CRP被描述为大量看似健康的受试者未来事件风险的有力标志物。到目前为止，几乎毫无疑问CRP是心血管事件的可靠标志物，但仍有一些问题未得到解答，比如为什么CRP是心血管事件的良好标志物，以及是否存在更好的炎症标志物。必须强调的是，由于其分析和生物学特性以及大量可用数据，CRP是唯一被临床接受使用的炎症标志物。
