Why Is it Important to Have Both hs-CRP and Cholesterol Measured?
High hs-CRP and high LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels represent different pathways leading to heart disease. Therefore doing measurements of both of these provides the doctor with more information about your cardiovascular risk than measuring LDL cholesterol alone. Persons with high hs-CRP and high LDL cholesterol are at greatest risk and those with low hs-CRP and low LDL cholesterol are at lowest risk. If your hs-CRP or LDL cholesterol levels are high, your doctor may advise you to adopt some lifestyle changes such as losing weight, stopping smoking, exercising and following a recommended diet, all of which will lower your cardiovascular risk as well as hs-CRP levels. There are also some medications you may wish to consider.
