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Updated: Aug 22, 2026
Ultrasonic Assessment of Myocardial Microstructure
Published on: January 14, 2014
C-reactive protein and atherosclerosis of the thoracic aorta: a population-based transesophageal echocardiographic
Yoram Agmon1, Bijoy K Khandheria, Irene Meissner
1Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Insights
Systemic inflammation, indicated by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), is linked to the presence and severity of aortic atherosclerotic plaques in the general population. This study confirms the association between inflammation and defined atherosclerosis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Inflammation Research
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Systemic inflammatory markers and atherosclerosis severity lack established links in general populations.
- Atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta are a significant health concern.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between systemic inflammatory markers and aortic atherosclerotic plaques.
- To analyze this association in the general population and in individuals without clinical vascular disease.
Main Methods:
- Transesophageal echocardiography was used to assess aortic plaques in 386 subjects.
- The study examined correlations between inflammatory markers, specifically high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and plaque characteristics.
Main Results:
- Aortic plaques were found in 69% of subjects.
- High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels correlated with the presence and thickness of aortic plaques, even after adjusting for risk factors.
- hs-CRP was independently associated with thicker plaques (≥6 mm) and mobile debris.
Conclusions:
- Elevated hs-CRP levels are independently associated with the presence and severity of aortic atherosclerotic plaques.
- This study establishes a link between systemic inflammation and anatomically defined atherosclerosis in the general population.
Background:
An association between systemic inflammatory markers and the presence and severity of atherosclerotic plaques has not been demonstrated in a nonselected population. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of inflammatory markers with aortic atherosclerotic plaques in a sample of the general population and in a subgroup free of clinical vascular disease.
Methods:
Transesophageal echocardiography was performed in 386 subjects (median age, 66 years; 53% men). We examined the association between systemic inflammatory markers and aortic atherosclerotic plaques.
Results:
Aortic plaques were present in 267 subjects (69%). Plaques at least 4 and 6 mm thick and mobile debris were present in 114, 41, and 20 subjects, respectively. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level was associated with the presence of aortic plaques, adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, and additional atherosclerosis risk factors. Among subjects with plaques, hs-CRP level was independently associated with plaques at least 6 mm thick; similar trends were observed for the associations of hs-CRP level with plaques at least 4 mm thick and mobile debris. In subjects with aortic plaques who were free of clinically apparent coronary artery or cerebrovascular disease, hs-CRP level was independently associated with plaques at least 6 mm thick.
Conclusions:
Level of hs-CRP is independently associated with the presence and severity of aortic atherosclerotic plaques. These observations establish the association of systemic inflammation with anatomically defined atherosclerosis in the general population.
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