Continuing on this thread that elevated C-reactive protein levels (a measurement of inflammation) may be a contributor to afib, I corresponded with one of the authors of the 2001 report I published here earlier, Dr. Mina Chung, of the Cleveland Clinic....
The reply was this:
...."We have a paper coming out showing higher levels of CRP are associated with future development of AFib."
My question was the chicken and egg theory... did afib cause the CRP or the otherway around.
It would seem from this statement, that elevated CRP is a causative factor in afib.
We'll have to wait until the report is published to learn the details.
It would be a further question, then, when is a CRP evaluation going to become a standard test in the usual blood panel? I always had to request mine of my internist...and my cardiologist never suggested one.
Jackie