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Wednesday, December 10, 2003In a study of nearly 21,000 women, researchers found that healthy women with high levels of C-reactive protein, or CRP, in their blood were about 50 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure over the next eight years or so. A similarly increased risk was found even in women whose blood pressure readings at the start seemed to suggest they had a low risk of hypertension. And the link between high CRP levels and subsequent high blood pressure held even when researchers took into account risk factors such as excess weight. The findings could lead to better prevention of high blood pressure well before it starts, researchers said. ....Doctors should consider including CRP tests in routine physical exams for healthy middle-aged adults, even those who appear to face a low risk of developing hypertension, said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a Cleveland Clinic Foundation cardiologist not involved in the research. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. The study (available in its entirety for free) does show a definite increase in the incidence of hypertension as values for C-reactive protein increase. Sixteen percent of women with the lowest values of CRP at baseline went on to develop hypertension compared to thirty-five percent of those with the highest CRP values. However, that means that the majority of women with elevated CRP levels did not go on to develop hypertension. Which would make it a very poor predictive tool. What the study does suggest is that inflammation may play a role in the genesis of high blood pressure. That's not too surprising. High blood pressure is one of those things that happen to many of us as we age. After a life time of pounding and pumping, the blood vessel walls are bound to have some damage, and it's inflammatory proteins like CRP that help the body repair that damage. It's just that, as with anything else, the repairs don't bring the vessel walls completely back to baseline - they become stiffer as result, and thus result in higher blood pressure. (It takes more work for the heart to pump the blood into stiff blood vessels than it does for it to pump into bouncy, elastic ones.) So, we're left with the age old dilemma. If we're going to prevent diseases of aging, we're going to have to find a way to arrest time. posted by Sydney on 12/10/2003 07:22:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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