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The association between elevated levels of markers of myocardial damage and short-term mortality in patients with unstable coronary artery disease is well known. Less well known, but equally strong, is a similar association between coronary artery disease and the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein and fibrinogen; this association is the subject of two recent studies.
Investigators in Sweden extended their study of low-molecular-weight heparin in patients with coronary artery disease (the Fragmin during Instability in Coronary Artery Disease [FRISC] trial) to assess the value of troponin T, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen as predictors of the risk for long-term mortality. Patients were followed for a mean of 37 months. Elevated levels…