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(Stroke. 2003;34:839.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Letters to the Editor

C-Reactive Protein and Blood Pressure in the Acute Phase After an Ischemic Stroke

Neurological Section, SMDN-Center for Cardiovascular Medicine, Sulmona, Italy

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

To the Editor:

Elevated blood pressure levels have been associated with an increased risk of stroke and of cardiovascular disease.¹ It is now well established that vascular inflammation is an independent risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis.²

Furthermore, low grade of inflammation, assessed by C-reactive protein (CRP), significantly predict the risk of future ischemic stroke.³ Thus, the mechanism underlying the link between elevated blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke may be inflammation. Engström et al⁴ demonstrated in a recent Stroke article that increased levels inflammation-sensitive plasma proteins are associated with elevated blood pressure and these proteins are associated with an increased risk of stroke in patient with high blood pressure. From this point of view, we have the possibility, using the data from the Villa Pini Stroke Data Bank^5,6 to extend their observations regarding the relationship between CRP and blood pressure levels in acute ischemic stroke. Previous data demonstrated that ischemic stroke triggers an acute phase response resulting in a rise of circulating CRP level.^5,6 However, the amount of the inflammatory response to ischemic stroke is variable: about 25% of patients with first-ever ischemic stroke have normal level of CRP after stroke implying that ischemic stroke itself does not induce a full-blown acute phase response.^5,6 CRP elevation can result from a variable intensity of the individual acute phase response to cerebral ischemia but it is not known if blood pressure levels in the acute phase after stroke can influence levels of inflammation markers. To verify this hypothesis . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Di Napoli and F. Papa Association Between Blood Pressure and C-Reactive Protein Levels in Acute Ischemic Stroke Hypertension, December 1, 2003; 42(6): 1117 - 1123. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]