Sumanth Prabu, MD, Lewin Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Diseases and Chief of the WashU Cardiovascular Division, co-authored the 2025 scientific statement published by the American College of Cardiology on the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease. The new statement reviews residual inflammatory risk, screening & management, and new anti-inflammatory strategies.
The statement provides updated recommendations on treatment and prevention of CVD, and highlights new groundbreaking research in the field. One takeaway is that a low-cost and widely available blood test, hsCRP is a valuable clinical tool; and can be as relevant in predicting cardiovascular events as cholesterol tests in some CVD patients. Lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise guidelines that align with the ACC/AHA High Blood Pressure guidelines were also emphasised as key in reducing systemic inflammation.
“The time is also ripe for the development of strategies to promote increased physician awareness of the crucial role of inflammation in CVD and accelerate the adoption of evidence-based, guideline-directed anti-inflammatory therapy through dissemination and implementation research.”
“The time is also ripe for the development of strategies to promote increased physician awareness of the crucial role of inflammation in CVD and accelerate the adoption of evidence-based, guideline-directed anti-inflammatory therapy through dissemination and implementation research,” say the authors of the statement.