EXPRESS: Comparison of High-Sensitivity C-reactive Protein vs. C-reactive Protein for Diagnostic Accuracy and Prediction of Mortality in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background The role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis has been unequivocally proven. However, the prognostic impact of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammatory response in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not been fully clarified. Furthermore, there is no direct comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of CRP and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in the AMI population. Methods In this prospective observational cohort study, 344 patients with AMI were enrolled. All-cause mortality was a primary endpoint. Patients were followed prospectively for a median of 6 years. Results The correlation between hsCRP and CRP (r =0.99; p Conclusion CRP and hsCRP provide a similar diagnostic accuracy, highlighting that CRP might replace hsCRP in routine assessments. Furthermore, low inflammatory status during the stable phase after AMI predicts favorable 6-year survival.