CV Inflammation
The Role of Inflammation in ASCVD
Inflammation plays a critical role in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) by contributing to the formation and progression of plaque [1]. Patients with ASCVD, the leading cause of death in the United States [2], are at high risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes [3].
Despite receiving standard of care therapies, including high-intensity statins and blood pressure medications, many patients remain at high-risk of cardiovascular events due to residual inflammatory risk.
43-47%
of patients on aggressive statin therapy were found to have residual inflammatory risk [4].
2x
as many patients have a risk of heart attack + stroke from untreated inflammation, than those that have remaining risk from untreated cholesterol, as seen in recent lipid-lowering trials [4].
How is Residual Inflammatory Risk Determined?
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is the inflammatory biomarker most widely used to predict residual inflammatory risk and ASCVD outcomes.
Inflammation is more Important than Cholesterol
Recently, an analysis of 31,245 patients receiving statins, showed that vascular inflammation was a stronger predictor of future cardiovascular events and death than cholesterol [5].
[5]
References
[1] Everett B, et al. Residual Inflammatory Risk. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 May, 73 (19) 2410–2412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.02.056
[2] Ornato, J. P., & Hand, M. M. (2014). Warning signs of a heart attack. Circulation, 129(11), e393-e395.
[3] Paul M Ridker, Deepak L Bhatt, Aruna D Pradhan, Steven E Nissen, et al. Inflammation and cholesterol as predictors of cardiovascular events among patients receiving statin therapy: a collaborative analysis of three randomised trials. The Lancet. Published online March 6, 2023. Vol. 401, issue 10384, P1293-1301, April 15, 2023.
[4] Ridker PM. How Common Is Residual Inflammatory Risk? Circ Res. 2017 Feb 17;120(4):617-619. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.310527. PMID: 28209792.
[5] Ridker, P. M., Bhatt, D. L., Pradhan, A. D., Glynn, R. J., MacFadyen, J. G., & Nissen, S. E. (2023). Inflammation and cholesterol as predictors of cardiovascular events among patients receiving statin therapy: a collaborative analysis of three randomised trials. The Lancet, 401(10384), 1293-1301.
