What are the main causes of an elevated C-reactive protein?
In general, the main causes of increased CRP and other markers of inflammation are: • burns, • trauma, • infections, • inflammation, • active inflammatory arthritis, and • certain cancers. Is there a link between C-reactive protein (CRP) and cardiovascular disease risk? The elevation of CRP has also been recently linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease. Atherosclerosis, or cholesterol plaquing of the arteries, is known to have an inflammatory component that is thought to cause the rise in CRP levels in the blood. Atherosclerosis is also felt to be affected by age and other cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking. In atherosclerosis, the blood vessel wall becomes injured. This injury acts as focus of inflammation and leads to the formation of plaques in the blood vessel walls. The plaques typically contain blood cells of inflammation, cholesterol deposits, and debris from the injured cells in the blood ves
