BACKGROUND: Inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a series of cardiovascular diseases. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of inflammation easily obtained in the emergency room. OBJECTIVE: To study the prognostic value of CRP in patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). METHODS: A prospective cohort of 119 patients with ADHF treated in the emergency room. Mean age was 74±11 years and 76 (64%) of patients were male. All were New York Heart Association Functional Class III or IV. CRP was measured by nephelometry at admission. Patients were followed after hospital discharge for an average of 12±9.7 months and cardiovascular mortality was the outcome analyzed. RESULTS: There were 44 (36.9%) deaths, all from cardiovascular causes. Individuals with CRP > 3 mg/dl had higher mortality than those below this level (p=0.018). In the multivariate analysis using Cox proportional model, CRP proved to be the most important independent prognostic factor (odds ratio 0.0916 [95% CI = 0.0341 - 0.1490] for each one-unit increment in CRP). CONCLUSION: CRP is an independent cardiovascular mortality predictor in patients with ADHF, indicating that inflammation represents an important component in the pathophysiology of the disease.
C-reactive protein; inflammation; cytokines; heart failure; cardiac output; low
