C-reactive protein and atherosclerosis: quo vadis?

In recent years numerous studies have demonstrated a direct association between elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and future risk of cardiovascular disease. An intriguing question is whether CRP represents just a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation, a process known to play an important role in atherothrombogenesis, or whether it may contribute actively to atherosclerotic lesion formation. In this paper we summarize the current evidence for an involvement of CRP in atherogenesis and we speculate about potential therapeutic implications these observations might have.