Summary

A recent study published in the NEJM evaluated the predictive value of a one-time measurement of three key biomarkers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a), for major cardiovascular events in women over a 30-year period, including myocardial infarction and stroke.1,2 Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women and is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in this population.

As part of the Women’s Health Study, researchers followed 27,939 initially healthy U.S. women health professionals over 30 years and found that higher levels of all three biomarkers were associated with increased risk, with hazard ratios of 1.70 for high-sensitivity CRP, 1.36 for LDL cholesterol, and 1.33 for lipoprotein(a) when comparing the highest and lowest quintiles. Each biomarker independently contributed to risk assessment, but their combined analysis provided the most significant predictive value, especially for participants with elevated levels across all three. While lifestyle changes can lower hsCRP and LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) levels are largely genetically determined.

The findings suggest that incorporating these biomarkers into routine cardiovascular assessments could be beneficial and emphasize the importance of early interventions and personalized treatments that extend beyond traditional 10-year risk estimates. Further research in diverse populations is needed to generalize these findings.

Sources

1. Ridker PM, Moorthy MV, Cook NR, et al. Inflammation, cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), and 30-year cardiovascular outcomes in women. N Engl J Med. Published online August 2024. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2405182.

2. National Institutes of Health. Single blood test predicts 30-year cardiovascular disease risks for women. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/single-blood-test-predicts-30-year-cardiovascular-disease-risks-women. Published August 2024. Accessed October 14, 2024.

This summary was created with assistance from generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, 2025)

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