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American Morning
Heart Health
Aired January 30, 2003 - 08:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're paging Dr. Gupta. We' don't have very far to go this morning. He's going to tell us about a new blood test that experts say could help millions of people who may be at risk for heart disease. And he joins us right now. The miracle of paging. Say his name, and he appears like that.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good to be here.
Well, you know, we hear about heart disease and lot of stories of people who fall dead of a heart attack. They didn't prepare to have any problem with their coronary arts. They appeared to have normal cholesterol, so why did they die of a heart attack? Well, the answer may actually lie in inflammation deep within the body.
And now there is a test called CRP -- C reactive protein -- to try and actually measure this inflammation. Doctors say -- they're putting a lot of faith in this -- they say this may be a stronger predictor of cholesterol of heart disease, and a better predictor of having a heart attack than cholesterol. So much so that the American Heart Association, the CDC, are saying it should be recommended on a limited basis for lots of patients around the country.
Take a look at some of the numbers there. If you have less than one -- now these numbers are important for people who get the test to actually check. Less than one means your low risk. Greater than three means you're a high risk, specifically so high, in fact, that your risk of heart disease about 200 percent higher than the average person.
Who should get this test checked? Not everybody. That's at least what the American Heart Association is saying, but if you have an intermediate risk of heart disease, because of family history, because of high cholesterol, blood pressure, things like that, you may be a candidate for this test. If you have a 10 to 20 percent chance of developing heart disease within the next 10 years, you may be a candidate for this test.
What this is going to mean is that doctors may check the CRP and find that it is elevated, your cholesterol numbers are low, but you're still going to be a candidate for aggressive treatment, such as cholesterol-lowering medications, other life-modifying behaviors, things like that. The way that you bring CRP down is the same way you bring cholesterol down, diet, exercise, things like that. You can take a look at the list there, but also possibly cholesterol-lowering medications.
ZAHN: But if you have a heightened CRP, does that necessarily mean you're going to contract heart disease?
GUPTA: No, and that's an important point, because the test has been around for a long time. They're just now applying it to heart disease. Take a quick look at the list. All of these people might also have elevated CRPs, so don't get the two confused. You may have a lot of reason to have a elevated CRP, but absent those, if you do have a risk of heart disease and your CRP is elevated, you may have a new test to try and figure out whether or not you might have a heart attack.
ZAHN: Does it cost much?
GUPTA: About $10 to $20 usually.
ZAHN: OK, thanks for the reminder. Yet another thing you've taught us about.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 30, 2003 - 08:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're paging Dr. Gupta. We' don't have very far to go this morning. He's going to tell us about a new blood test that experts say could help millions of people who may be at risk for heart disease. And he joins us right now. The miracle of paging. Say his name, and he appears like that.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good to be here.
Well, you know, we hear about heart disease and lot of stories of people who fall dead of a heart attack. They didn't prepare to have any problem with their coronary arts. They appeared to have normal cholesterol, so why did they die of a heart attack? Well, the answer may actually lie in inflammation deep within the body.
And now there is a test called CRP -- C reactive protein -- to try and actually measure this inflammation. Doctors say -- they're putting a lot of faith in this -- they say this may be a stronger predictor of cholesterol of heart disease, and a better predictor of having a heart attack than cholesterol. So much so that the American Heart Association, the CDC, are saying it should be recommended on a limited basis for lots of patients around the country.
Take a look at some of the numbers there. If you have less than one -- now these numbers are important for people who get the test to actually check. Less than one means your low risk. Greater than three means you're a high risk, specifically so high, in fact, that your risk of heart disease about 200 percent higher than the average person.
Who should get this test checked? Not everybody. That's at least what the American Heart Association is saying, but if you have an intermediate risk of heart disease, because of family history, because of high cholesterol, blood pressure, things like that, you may be a candidate for this test. If you have a 10 to 20 percent chance of developing heart disease within the next 10 years, you may be a candidate for this test.
What this is going to mean is that doctors may check the CRP and find that it is elevated, your cholesterol numbers are low, but you're still going to be a candidate for aggressive treatment, such as cholesterol-lowering medications, other life-modifying behaviors, things like that. The way that you bring CRP down is the same way you bring cholesterol down, diet, exercise, things like that. You can take a look at the list there, but also possibly cholesterol-lowering medications.
ZAHN: But if you have a heightened CRP, does that necessarily mean you're going to contract heart disease?
GUPTA: No, and that's an important point, because the test has been around for a long time. They're just now applying it to heart disease. Take a quick look at the list. All of these people might also have elevated CRPs, so don't get the two confused. You may have a lot of reason to have a elevated CRP, but absent those, if you do have a risk of heart disease and your CRP is elevated, you may have a new test to try and figure out whether or not you might have a heart attack.
ZAHN: Does it cost much?
GUPTA: About $10 to $20 usually.
ZAHN: OK, thanks for the reminder. Yet another thing you've taught us about.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
