Plasma levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein do not correlate with inflammatory activity in carotid atherosclerotic plaques.

Summary, in English

It is well established that subjects with moderately elevated plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) have an increased risk of development of cardiovascular events. As atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by chronic arterial inflammation, it is possible that moderate increases in CRP level reflect the presence of plaque inflammation. To investigate this possibility we compared plasma levels of hsCRP the day before carotid endarterectomy with the degree of inflammation in the excised plaque tissue.