Do patients taking statin drugs need to have hs-CRP measured in follow-up?
Statin drugs both lower cholesterol and lower hs-CRP levels. Very recent evidence in high risk patients from two studies, the PROVE IT trial and the REVERSAL trial, both indicate that reducing hs-CRP levels with statin therapy lowers the risk of recurrent heart attacks and cardiac deaths. This is potentially important for patient care as it suggests that getting hs-CRP levels down aggressively may be of similar importance as aggressively lowering cholesterol levels – in both of these new studies, the patients who did the best were those who not only lowered cholesterol but also lowered hs-CRP levels. The best way to do this is through lifestyle changes including weight loss, exercise, and smoking cessation. Patients who are at high risk and taking statin drugs and who have elevated hs-CRP levels may want to consult with their physicians about whether the dose of statin is optimal for them.
