C reactive protein and cardiovascular disease

• Autor(a) principal: Cardoso, Inês Lopes
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Paulos, Ana Teresa
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10284/8598
• topic: Cardiovascular disease; Atherosclerosis; Inflammatory process; Inflammatory biomarkers; High sensitive C reactive protein

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are the first cause of death in developed countries, therefore it is of interest to reduce this public health problem. The development of atherosclerosis is the main cause of CVD. This pathology results from the accumulation of lipids in the arterial wall, that leads to a complex inflammatory process. Inflammatory biomarkers are a valuable tool in the detection and monitorization of the evolution of this process, as well as in the choice of therapy to implement. C-Reactive Protein (CRP), determined by high sensitivity methods (hs-CRP), is the most studied biomarker and stands out among the others, being considered an important marker of inflammation. Its importance comes from the fact that its plasma level is not affected by large diurnal or seasonal variations, and for this reason is indicated as an important mediator of the atherosclerotic process. The goal of this work is to deepen knowledge concerning the importance of C reactive protein as a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases and discuss how it can be used in primary as well as secondary prevention of CVD. The use of C reactive protein as a biomarker allows detection, monitorization and prevention of cardiovascular disease.