Aug 04 (HeartCenterOnline) - C-reactive protein, a measure of inflammation that is sometimes touted as a valuable predictor for heart disease, appears to have different meanings for men versus women, and blacks versus whites.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a blood protein that is created in response to inflammation somewhere in the body, including inflammation that is connected with atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries." High levels of CRP have been associated with heart attacks, although there is some debate about how accurately CRP can help measure cardiovascular risk.

In a study published in the recent edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, a team of researchers compared CRP levels among men and women and among blacks and whites, hoping to better understand the relationship between CRP and heart disease among various segments of the population.

The study was necessary, according to one of its authors, because current CRP recommendations are based on studies that were conducted in white men. To date, there is very little data about CRP in different segments of the population.

Researchers found that CRP levels vary among different groups. For instance, white women were found to have higher average levels of CRP than both black and white men. Yet white women also have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, raising questions about the predictive value of CRP among women. Overall, women were found to have higher levels of CRP than men.

Researchers also found that obesity corresponded with CRP levels, with people suffering from obesity also having higher corresponding CRP rates than their thinner counterparts.

Based on these results, researchers called for additional studies to help set cut-off points for CRP for various segments of the population. Currently, they said that CRP probably overestimates the risk of cardiovascular disease among black people, but underestimates it among women.