In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the authors assist the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in determining whether CRP should be incorporated into guidelines for cardiovascular heart disease (CHD) risk assessment. A total of 37 published studies conducted in 24 cohorts met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the relative risk for CHD was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.37 to 1.83) for CRP levels greater than 3.0 mg/L compared to levels less than 1.0 mg/L. In addition, analysis from 4 large cohorts reported data suggesting that CRP improves risk stratification among individuals presumably at intermediate CHD risk. However, evidence that reducing CRP levels prevents CHD events is lacking.
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