The New England journal of medicine
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N. Engl. J. Med.
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The pathogenesis of unstable angina is poorly understood, and predicting the prognosis at the time of hospital admission is problematic. Recent evidence suggests that there may be active inflammation, possibly in the coronary arteries, in this syndrome. We therefore studied the prognostic value of measurements of the circulating acute-phase reactants C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A protein, which are sensitive indicators of inflammation. ⋯ Elevation of the sensitive acute-phase proteins C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A protein at the time of hospital admission predicts a poor outcome in patients with unstable angina and may reflect an important inflammatory component in the pathogenesis of this condition.