A stroke happens when a blood vessel which carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. After that, a part of the brain cannot get the blood it needs, so it starts to die. According to American Heart Association, stroke kills more than 137,000 people a year. It is No.4 cause of death. There is no doubt that predicting the risk of heart diseases especially stroke is so important for preventing stroke. We also know some values could be important for predicting stroke such as blood level of LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, Matrix Gla Protein.… But in recent years, CRP could be reputed as a new predictor of stroke.
What is C- Reactive Protein?
C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory factor. Now, its level is also been shown to predict atherothrombotic disease. Many studies found blood markers that reflect the inflammatory process are elevated among individuals at high risk for future heart disease. CRP was a strong predictor of risk risk of stroke, even 20 years after initial blood samples were obtained. Nowadays, it is also quite easy to measure. Moreover, a study of Ridker and his colleagues that compares hs-CRP with LDL measurements for prediction of cardiovascular risk concluded that CRP level was a stronger predictor than LDL cholesterol.
Peoples with elevated levels of CRP have a risk of stroke about 2 to 3 times higher than low level peoples. According to The American Heart Association and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, risk groups based on hs-CRP have been classified as the following:
- Low risk: less than 1.0 mg/L
- Average risk: 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L
- High risk: above 3.0 mg/L
How to reduce CRP?
Everyone can make CRP, however, we can produce different amounts of CRP depending a variety of factors such as genetics and lifestyle. On average, people who smoke, have high blood pressure, are overweight and fail to exercise will lead to have high levels of CRP. By contrast, thin, athletic individuals tend to have lower levels. Nevertheless, about half of the variation in CRP levels between different people is inherited and thus reflects levels that your parents and grandparents have passed on to you through their genes.
Therefore, the best ways to lower CRP are already known to lower cardiovascular risk including diet, doing exercise, blood pressure control and smoking cessation. In addition, aspirins also reduce CRP levels as well as lower LDL cholesterols. However, any decision to take aspirin should balance potential risks and benefits and should be made in consultation with your doctor.
References:
Lebtestonline.org; hs-CRP, June 2012
