Prevention & lipidsCohort study
C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk in the general population
- Population-based cohort study
- covariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models
Authors' conclusion
These data confirm hsCRP as a clinically relevant predictor of CV events in individuals without known ASCVD
Study context
- Population
- UK Biobank participants without known atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD) (median age 57 years, 55.4% female, median High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) 1.32 mg/L)UK Biobank
- Participants
- 448,653 participants
- Exposure
- hsCRP >3 mg/L vs <1 mg/L
- Outcome
- MACE, CV death and all-cause death
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
MACE, CV death, all-cause death (hsCRP >3 vs <1 mg/L)
Higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with hsCRP >3 mg/L vs <1 mg/L
34%
Increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) death with hsCRP >3 mg/L vs <1 mg/L
61%
Increased risk of all-cause death with hsCRP >3 mg/L vs <1 mg/L
54%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
MACE, CV death, all-cause death (hsCRP ≥2 vs <2 mg/L)
- Increased risk of MACE
- 22%
- Higher risk of CV death
- 37%
- Higher risk of all-cause death
- 34%
Subgroups
- Association of hsCRP with all endpoints consistent across subgroups
Prediction of MACE
- Total net reclassification improvement adding hsCRP to SCORE2
- 14.1%
- Predictive performance of hsCRP ranked above conventional risk factors
Repeat hsCRP measurement · 4.4 years
- Long-term stability (15 967 participants)
Original publication
C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk in the general population. Eur Heart J. Published 11 December 2025. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf937
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it