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A large Swedish registry study found that elevated hsCRP levels in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) are linked to significantly higher risks of heart attacks, heart failure hospitalizations, acute kidney injury, and death. The findings suggest hsCRP could be a simple, widely available tool to identify CKD patients who need more intensive management of their cardio-kidney-metabolic risks.
A large cohort study out of Sweden has found that elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) — a marker of inflammation — are independently associated with worse cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Researchers analyzed data from over 23,000 adults with CKD stages 3–5 who were receiving specialized nephrology care, tracking outcomes over nearly four years.
Patients with hsCRP levels of 2 mg/L or higher faced meaningfully higher risks across nearly every major outcome compared to those with lower levels. Notably, the risk increased in a graded fashion — the higher the hsCRP, the worse the outcomes — particularly for mortality, heart failure hospitalizations, and acute kidney injury.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: hsCRP is a simple, widely available blood test. These findings support its use as a practical biomarker to flag CKD patients at the highest cardio-kidney-metabolic risk — helping clinicians prioritize closer monitoring and more aggressive management of modifiable risk factors.
