C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of inflammation. Serum CRP concentrations increase rapidly and dramatically (100-fold or more) in response to tissue injury or inflammation. High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) is more precise than standard CRP when measuring baseline (ie, normal) concentrations and enables a measure of chronic inflammation. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease and hs-CRP has been endorsed by multiple guidelines as a biomarker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. The hsCRP result has prognostic utility in patients with acute coronary syndrome and is a strong independent predictor of future coronary events in apparently healthy individuals. Ref. Value:> or =18 years: <2.0 mg/L