Circulation provides a crucial missing link connecting inflammation to heart attack.
This finding suggests that CRP is not merely a marker of inflammation, but also plays a direct role in the causation of some heart attacks, according to investigators. However, it remains a mystery why a marker of inflammation can be such a strong predictor of risk, researchers say. Now we know the relationship between CRP and endothelial cells in the causation of heart attacks. Yeh holds appointments as professor and vice chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Medical School and director of the Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases at the Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases. The authors also are affiliated with the Texas Heart Institute.