C-reactive protein and venous thromboembolism: causal or casual association?
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Giuseppe Lippi
Abstract
The plasma concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), the first acute-phase protein to be identified, increases dramatically following tissue injury or inflammation. Although the physiological role of CRP is still not fully known, it has been suggested that concentrations might increase as part of the acute-phase response for facilitating non-specific immune functions, defense against bacterial pathogens, clearance of apoptotic and necrotic cells to prevent immunization against autoantigens and acceleration of the repair process. In agreement with the evidence that inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, CRP concentrations have been associated with cardiovascular disease, and measurement of CRP has therefore been proposed as a valuable aid to predict and stratify the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. Recently, some clinical and biological evidence in support of the hypothesis that CRP might be also involved in the onset of venous thrombosis have emerged. Native and monomeric CRP exert several prothrombotic activities, including activation of blood coagulation, impairment of the endogenous fibrinolytic capacity, and stimulation or enhancement of platelet adhesiveness and responsiveness. Epidemiological investigations have also shown that CRP concentrations are associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism and, even more interestingly, that statins might be effective in reducing the risk of this pathology. Although there is increasing emphasis that CRP might not only be a marker but also an active player in the development of venous thrombosis, further evidence is needed to establish which event comes first – thrombosis or inflammation.
Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1693–701.
©2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
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- Letters to the Editor
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- Acknowledgement
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Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk – matters of prediction and precision
- Reviews
- Inflammatory markers, cholesterol and statins: pathophysiological role and clinical importance
- C-reactive protein and venous thromboembolism: causal or casual association?
- Perspectives
- Statistical methods for assessment of added usefulness of new biomarkers
- Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics
- ThalassoChip, an array mutation and single nucleotide polymorphism detection tool for the diagnosis of β-thalassaemia
- General Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
- Glycated hemoglobin vs. the oral glucose tolerance test for the exclusion of impaired glucose tolerance in high-risk individuals
- Impact of glucuronide interferences on therapeutic drug monitoring of posaconazole by tandem mass spectrometry
- Evaluation of D-dimer in the diagnosis of suspected aortic dissection
- Quantification of coagulation factor XIII activity by a thio-NADH based assay using factor XIII immuno-depleted plasma as a diluent for calibration
- Qualitative detection of the Marburg I alloenzyme of factor VII-activating protease by an immunoassay and its comparison to PCR testing
- Fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with or without CF related liver disease
- Development and validation of a combined method for the biomonitoring of omega-3/-6 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids in different matrices from human and nutritional sources
- Evaluation of the Sysmex UF-1000i® urine flow cytometer in the diagnostic work-up of suspected urinary tract infection in a Dutch general hospital
- Association between coffee consumption and the estimated glomerular filtration rate in the general Japanese population: preliminary data regarding C-reactive protein concentrations
- Lactic acid is of low predictive value for the diagnosis of bacterial infection in ventricular cerebrospinal fluid samples containing residual blood
- Accuracy of the Precision® point-of-care ketone test examined by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in the same fingerstick sample
- Cancer Diagnostics
- Combination of polymorphisms within the HDAC1 and HDAC3 gene predict tumor recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma patients that have undergone transplant therapy
- Global DNA methylation: comparison of enzymatic- and non-enzymatic-based methods
- Determination of biological variation of α-fetoprotein and choriogonadotropin (β chain) in disease-free patients with testicular cancer
- Infectious Diseases
- Investigation of the relationship between apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms and hepatitis B virus infection in northern China
- Helicobacter pylori infection and the severity of gastritis are not associated with iron deficiency in a group of Brazilian patients
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Proatrial natriuretic peptide is a better predictor of 28-day mortality in septic shock patients than proendothelin-1
- The relationship between aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen and heart rate variability parameters in heart failure patients: a potential serum marker to evaluate cardiac autonomic control and sudden cardiac death
- Relationship of hepatic steatosis and alanine aminotransferase with coronary calcification
- Letters to the Editor
- Novel mutation at codon 110 of the human APOE gene: impact on genotyping with fluorescent hybridization probes
- A simple, fast and inexpensive automated technique for measurement of plasma nitrite
- Development of an innovative serological test for detection of antibodies to Treponema pallidum
- Erratum
- Controversies on quotient reporting to standardise laboratory results
- Acknowledgement
- Acknowledgement