An update on Clinical usefulness with CRP, TNF & nt pro bnp

An update on Clinical usefulness with CRP, TNF & nt pro bnp

In the evaluation and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the routine measurement of lipid profile is being used for many years and even today is the first line of laboratory test used in CVD screening. However, extensive
research in this filed has shown that 50% of patients who died due to cardiac arrest have normal lipid profile levels
at the time of death. Hence, there may be many hidden, genetically linked inflammatory markers which may have
caused such deaths and there is need to diagnose all cardiac dysfunction related patients by measuring markers like CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, BNP and Homocysteine and Lipoprotein (a) as studies have shown increased levels of these in many cardiac dysfunctional patients.

This review article is an attempt to bring out the research findings during the last two decades on the clinical usefulness of the above markers and to recommend the measurements of these along with the traditional lipid profile so as to modify the treatment modalities and to evaluate the prognosis. Among the 6 markers reviewed in this article, while standardized methods with reference values are available for the first 5 parameters, methodological variations still exist for Lipoprotein (a) measurement and hence its clinical
usefulness could be realised only after an acceptable method is established. The aim of this review article is to
discuss the merits and better clinical usefulness of these additional biomakers which may facilitate fast and
accurate diagnosis of CVD, heart failure and disorders associated with them.

“Keywords:” CVD, CRP, IL-6, BNP, HCY, TNF-α