CV Inflammation
Despite being on standard treatments like high-intensity statins and blood pressure medications, many people are still at risk for heart-related events due to inflammation that remains untreated.
43-47%
of people on strong statin treatments still have untreated inflammation [4].
2x
more patients face heart attack and stroke risk from untreated inflammation than from untreated cholesterol [4].
Statins Not Enough
Untreated Inflammation Increases Risk
Do I Have Inflammation?
How is Residual Inflammatory Risk Determined?
Residual inflammatory risk refers to the inflammation in your body that might still be present even if your cholesterol levels are well controlled, which can cause heart issues.
Doctors often check for this using a High-Sensitivity C-Reative Protein (hs-CRP) test that look for signs of inflammation.
hs-CRP Value
< 1 mg/L
1 - 3 mg/L
> 3 mg/L
Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Low Risk
Average Risk
High Risk
High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP)
What it is: A blood test that measures a protein made by the liver in response to inflammation.
Knowing your residual inflammatory risk helps doctors decide if more treatment is needed
Even with controlled cholesterol, inflammation can still raise heart risk
Inflammation is more Important than Cholesterol
A recent study analyzing over 31,000 patients on statins, a cholesterol lowering medication, found that inflammation can be more important than cholesterol in predicting heart problems and death.
Lowest Risk
Low Cholesterol
Low Inflammation
Moderate Risk
High Cholesterol
Low Inflammation
Highest Risk
High Cholesterol
High Inflammation
High Risk
Low Cholesterol
High Inflammation
Risk of Heart Problems
Lowest Risk
Slightly Higher Risk
1.3x Higher Risk
1.5x Higher Risk
Risk of Death from Heart Disease
Lowest Risk
Slightly Higher Risk
1.5x Higher Risk
2x Higher Risk
Even with statins controlling cholesterol, the study shows that uncontrolled inflammation significantly increases heart risk, highlighting inflammation as a powerful predictor of heart problems and death.
It’s important to check with your doctor to assess your inflammation levels and manage your heart health effectively.
References
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[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.
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