Blood Inflammatory Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract Inflammation is critical to the development of atherosclerosis and its complications of stroke and myocardial infarction. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the role of inflammation in cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, this chapter reviews the role of inflammation in atherosclerosis with a focus on epidemiology and human disease states which accelerate atherosclerosis. The chapter reviews the development and utilization of markers of inflammation in the blood for understanding the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and risk stratification for cardiovascular diseases. First, the chapter reviews crude inflammatory markers in the blood and then characterizes immune cells involved in atherosclerosis. Along with immune cells, cytokines and chemokines involved in cellular trafficking in atherosclerosis are discussed. Finally, the use of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and an emerging inflammatory marker, GlycA, is discussed in the context of clinical cardiovascular disease risk stratification.