Michowitz Yoav, Arbel Yaron, Wexler Dov, Sheps David, Rogowski Ori, Shapira Itzhak, Berliner Shlomo, Keren Gad, George Jacob, Roth Arie
The Department of Cardiology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Int J Cardiol. 2008 Apr 25;125(3):347-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2007.02.037. Epub 2007 Apr 30.
C-reactive protein (CRP) has been tested in patients with systolic heart failure (HF) and mixed results have been obtained with regards to its potential predictive value. However, the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with diastolic HF is not established. We studied the predictive role of high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) in patients with diastolic HF.
HsCRP levels were measured in a cohort of CHF outpatients, 77 patients with diastolic HF and 217 patients with systolic HF. Concentrations were compared to a large cohort of healthy population (n=7701) and associated with the HF admissions and mortality of the patients.
Levels of hsCRP did not differ between patients with systolic and diastolic HF and were significantly elevated compared to the cohort of healthy subjects even after adjustment to various clinical parameters (p<0.0001). In patients with diastolic HF, hsCRP levels associated with New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA-FC) (r=0.31 p=0.01). On univariate Cox regression model hsCRP levels independently predicted hospitalizations in patients with systolic but not diastolic HF (p=0.047).
HsCRP concentrations are elevated in patients with diastolic HF and correlate with disease severity; their prognostic value in this patient population should be further investigated.
