Impact of innate inflammation in population studies.

Innate inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis, plaque rupture, thrombosis, and stroke. Inflammatory biomarkers related to innate inflammation, including acute phase proteins, may predict first stroke. The utility of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and other related markers may diminish among populations with established vascular risk. Other biomarkers, including lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, may provide complementary information about prognosis after stroke or subclinical vascular disease. The innate immune system originally evolved to provide protection against bacterial infections. Moreover, infections may also contribute to stroke risk. Summary measures representing multiple chronic infections have been associated with risk of stroke and atherosclerosis. Acute infections, particularly respiratory infections, have also been found to serve as precipitants of stroke in recent epidemiological studies. These findings could have clinical implications. Further studies are needed to determine the role of innate inflammation and infection in stroke pathogenesis and prevention.