An expert panel convened by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed the benefits of hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) for some patients at risk of a heart attack but recommends against its use as a screen for the general population.

The panel's conclusions, reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, confirm that hs-CRP may be of value to physicians who are deciding on treatment options for patients who have a 10 to 20 percent risk of heart attack in the next 10 years. In such situations, the hs-CRP test can help determine whether the physician recommends an aggressive treatment or something more moderate. The report further points out that no evidence currently suggests that hs-CRP testing in high risk patients has an impact on their treatment outcomes, and so, testing in high risk patients is not recommended.

hs-CRP is a relatively new test that has been widely publicized as a means to evaluate a patient's risk of heart attack or other heart conditions. The hs-CRP test differs from the CRP test in its ability to detect small amounts of CRP in the blood; hence the term "high-sensitivity" CRP. Studies suggest that hs-CRP is useful in detecting the small amounts of CRP in patients with atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease that exhibits a low level of chronic inflammation. Atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries", reduces the flow of blood to the heart and puts the patient at risk of a heart attack.

The panel's recommendations regarding hs-CRP are the first formal guidance provided to physicians.