C-reactive protein and cardiovascular disease: differences between humans and mice.

C-Reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease: Differences Between Humans and Mice To the Editor: We read with great interest the recent article by Zhang et al.1 Zhang et al1 concluded that the results from their study revealed that C-reactive protein may act not only as an inflammation marker but also as a mediator factor in hypertensive cardiac remodeling. The study by Zhang et al1 was done in mice, not in humans. This point may be relevant, because studies have shown that C-reactive protein itself does not appear to be causally related to hypertension and its complications in humans.2–4 Thus, using Mendelian randomization, it was shown that genetically elevated C-reaction protein was neither associated with hypertension nor with ischemic heart disease and ischemic cerebrovascular disease in humans.2–4 It is of note that none of these important human studies are cited in the article by Zhang et al.1 We think it may be important for the reader of Hypertension that it is discussed in more detail that the results presented in the article by Zhang et al1 may not be relevant to human hypertension and its complications, only to mice.