High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein is a Predictor of In-Hospital Cardiac Events in Acute Myocardial Infarction Independently of GRACE Risk Score

High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) is being increasingly used as a marker for cardiac risk assessment and as a prognostic tool in acute coronary syndrome. We analyzed the relation between hsCRP values at admission and in-hospital outcomes in 98 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing catheterization. Patients with cardiac events had more advanced Killip class, more proportion of depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), higher Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score, and higher hsCRP levels. High-sensitivity CRP and GRACE risk score showed a significant positive correlation (r = .320, P = .002). In multivariate analysis, hsCRP resulted as a predictor of worse in-hospital outcomes independently of GRACE risk score (OR 1.122, CI95%:1.005-1.252, P = .040). The hsCRP value showing the maximum likelihood ratio for predicting cardiac events was 1.45 mg/dL. High levels of hsCRP were also associated with development of contrast-induced nephropathy but not with bleeding events.