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(Circulation. 2004;109:e9012.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Circulation Newswriter

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Two Markers Complement Each Other in Identifying Risk

Two inflammatory markers—C-reactive protein and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂)—appear to be complementary identifiers of people with a high risk for coronary heart disease who have low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, said researchers in a report in this week’s issue of the journal Circulation ( Circulation. 2004;109:837–842[Abstract/Free Full Text]).

In this study, led by Christie Ballantyne, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the 12 819 members of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study were followed up for 6 years to determine the relation between Lp-PLA₂, C-reactive protein, traditional risk factors, and the risk for coronary heart disease events. The researchers found that Lp-PLA₂ and C-reactive protein levels were higher in 608 cases than in 704 noncases in this prospective, case–cohort study. In patients with levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol below 130 mg/dL, those with Lp-PLA₂ and C-reactive protein levels in the highest tertile were at the greatest risk for a coronary heart disease event.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease May Predict Kidney Disease
Risk factors for heart disease—including high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity—are also associated with risk of kidney disease, said researchers in a report in the February 18, 2004, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA. 2004;291:844–850[Abstract/Free Full Text]).

The study, led by Caroline S. Fox, MD, MPH, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study in Massachusetts, analyzed data from 1223 men and 1362 women enrolled in the Framingham Offspring Study who had had a baseline examination between 1978 and 1982 and a . . . [Full Text of this Article]