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Association of mitral annulus calcification with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, which is a marker of

Ertuğrul Kurtoğlu1, Hasan Korkmaz, Erdal Aktürk

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Elazığ Education and Research Hospital, 23100 Elazığ, Turkey. erkurtoglu@hotmail.com

Mediators of Inflammation
|April 25, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is associated with higher levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation. This finding suggests a link between MAC and inflammation, even in patients without other common risk factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Inflammation Research
  • Diagnostic Markers

Background:

  • Limited clinical data exists on the relationship between mitral annular calcification (MAC) and systemic inflammation.
  • Systemic inflammation plays a role in various cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in patients with and without MAC.
  • To investigate the association between MAC and hs-CRP levels.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 100 patients with MAC and 100 age-matched controls without MAC.
  • Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was used for MAC assessment.
  • Hs-CRP levels were measured and compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

  • Patients with MAC had significantly higher hs-CRP levels compared to controls (2.02 ± 0.35 vs. 1.43 ± 0.47 mg/dl, P < 0.001).
  • The MAC group showed a higher prevalence of female gender, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.
  • Elevated hs-CRP in the MAC group was observed even in subgroups without hypertension, coronary artery disease, or in male patients.

Conclusions:

  • Hs-CRP, a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation, is increased in patients with mitral annular calcification.
  • This study highlights a potential link between MAC and underlying systemic inflammation.
Abstract

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