C-Reactive Protein in Offspring Is Associated With the Occurrence of Myocardial Infarction in First-Degree Relatives

The relevance of elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in cardiovascular disease is gaining increasing recognition. A family history of coronary artery disease is a major determinant of coronary artery disease in the offspring. In a cohort of 1048 individuals without clinical evidence of atherosclerosis, we investigated the relationships between CRP levels and a family history of myocardial infarction. We measured CRP, fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and some genetic polymorphismsplasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (4G/5G), fibrinogen (Bβ-chain G→A), and angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion (I/D). Clinical data were collected by a World Health Organization–modified questionnaire for cardiovascular disease. When compared with subjects without first-degree relatives who had suffered a myocardial infarction (n=867), subjects with such first-degree relatives (n=181) were older (P =0.001), more often hypertensive (P