Does a high hs-CRP level increase the risk of dying from heart disease?

The hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) blood test lets you know the amount of inflammation in your body. Inflammation can affect the arteries and immune system. Chronic infections are common and often cause elevated hs-CRP levels.

 In the U.S. government's Women's Health Initiative, which studied approximately 28,000 women, the cardiovascular mortality rate was 3.1 times higher for those with elevated hs-CRP than for those with the lowest levels. In a Danish study, the mortality rate was 2.1 times higher for those with elevated hs-CRP than for those with the lowest levels; and in the World Health Organization's MONICA Study, the mortality rate was 2.6 times higher. In studies of other countries, the rate of a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack was 1.87 to 3.6 times higher with elevated hs-CRP. The all cause (all) mortality rate was 1.4 to 2.3 higher for those in the highest 20 or 25 percent of hs-CRP values than for those with the lowest levels.