Study: Inflammation Still Raises Heart Attack Risk Despite Standard Treatment

Inflammation in the blood vessels remains a factor that increases the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with cardiovascular disease, even after they have undergone standard therapy. This condition indicates a gap in the management of heart disease, which has so far focused more on controlling cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. The findings were revealed in the global POSEIDON study, which involved 18,904 patients across 18 countries between 2023 and 2025. The study showed that around two in five patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who also have chronic kidney disease experience cardiovascular inflammation. Similar findings were observed in patients with heart failure. Cardiovascular inflammation is an inflammation of the blood vessels that generally causes no symptoms. However, if it persists over the long term, the condition can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. In Indonesia, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death. Data from the Ministry of Health shows that cardiovascular disease accounts for approximately 30 per cent of total national deaths, underscoring the need for more comprehensive prevention and management efforts. Filip Knop, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Novo Nordisk, said the results show that inflammation is a source of risk that has not been fully addressed. ‘The POSEIDON study demonstrates that cardiovascular inflammation is a significant and persistent source of risk in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease or heart failure, despite them receiving current standard-of-care therapy,’ Knop said. According to him, understanding inflammation is crucial to supporting the development of therapies that can address this unmet medical need. Carolyn S.P. Lam, Senior Consultant in the Department of Cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore, said inflammation is no longer viewed as a secondary factor in heart disease. ‘These findings change the way we view residual cardiovascular risk and affirm the potential of anti-inflammatory therapies currently in development to address unmet medical needs,’ Lam said. The study also noted that cardiovascular inflammation was measured using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels of at least 2 milligrams per litre. This blood test is now a commonly used biomarker to identify inflammation risk in patients with cardiovascular disease. In line with the growing body of scientific evidence, several international clinical guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have begun to include elevated hsCRP levels as an indicator in cardiovascular risk assessment and in determining more intensive prevention strategies.