Inflammation: The Missing Link in Heart and Artery Health Now Made Official

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In a groundbreaking move, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) has declared that chronic inflammation is not only central to the development of cardiovascular disease but must now be measured, monitored, and treated as part of standard prevention and care. The 2025 ACC Scientific Statement on Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on 29 September 2025, explains that cholesterol control alone is not enough, and the link between inflammation and heart disease is no longer exploratory but compelling and clinically actionable. The time for action has arrived.  

Inflammation can cause blocked arteries by damaging artery walls, leading to a buildup of fatty plaque known as atherosclerosis.

For over 15 years, CardiAction’s founders have argued that silent, low-grade inflammation is a hidden yet major driver of cardiovascular risk and that it must be brought to the forefront of assessment and prevention. This statement is the strongest validation yet of that vision.

What the ACC is saying

Adopt high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) alongside cholesterol testing

hsCRP is a simple blood test that detects very low levels of inflammation. Cholesterol shows fat levels in the blood. hsCRP reveals hidden inflammatory activity. Together, they give a more complete picture of risk. The ACC highlights residual inflammatory risk even when Low level Lipoprotein (LDL) ‘the bad cholesterol’ is low for those on statins.  

Inflammation often predicts risk as strongly as, and sometimes more than, cholesterol

People with higher hsCRP face greater risk of heart attack and stroke, even with normal cholesterol. Large cohort and trial data show that inflammatory burden tracks events and can improve long-term risk reclassification.  

Treat inflammatory risk, not only lipid risk

Lifestyle changes reduce inflammatory burden. In selected patients, medicines such as low-dose colchicine and agents that target IL-1 or IL-6 pathways lower events independent of LDL. Care must follow trial-proven indications.  

Cholesterol is important, but cholesterol alone is not enough

For decades, healthcare systems leaned heavily on cholesterol as the dominant predictor of cardiovascular events. Global evidence shows that a cholesterol-only lens misses large pockets of risk. People with normal LDL but elevated hsCRP remain vulnerable, and patients who reach ideal LDL targets can still suffer events if inflammation persists.  

We are not here to point fingers. But the reality is clear: chronic disease is climbing, and relying on cholesterol alone has not turned the tide. CardiAction exists to help accelerate the shift to approaches that reflect today’s science.

Where Pulse Wave Analysis and CardiAction fit

What Pulse Wave Analysis measures

Pulse Wave Analysis from machines like the Uscom BP+ uses a standard upper-arm cuff at a brief suprasystolic pressure to capture central aortic pressure waveforms. From these waveforms it derives central blood pressure, augmentation index and other indices of arterial stiffness and wave reflection. These are physiologic signatures of how stiff or flexible the arteries are and how the pressure wave travels from the heart.  

Regulatory scope

The Uscom BP+ machine is FDA 510(k) cleared under K121266 and listed by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration on the ARTG. It is cleared for non-invasive measurement of central and brachial blood pressure and waveform analysis. It is not a diagnostic for inflammation or hsCRP.  

How this relates to inflammation and hsCRP

PWA does not measure hsCRP. However, decades of peer-reviewed research show consistent associations between arterial stiffness and wave reflection indices and inflammatory markers, including hsCRP, in both healthy and clinical cohorts. Examples include studies linking hsCRP with augmentation index and central pressures, and large population studies showing that hsCRP tracks with higher pulse wave velocity and vascular dysfunction. These findings align with the biological reality that chronic low-grade inflammation promotes endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffening.  

CardiAction ProScreen and hsCRP: Different measures, stronger together

While hsCRP measures systemic inflammation in the blood, PWA captures the actual vascular consequences of that inflammation on artery walls. Research demonstrates that these measures provide complementary information. A large study of over 6,500 individuals found that elevated arterial stiffness was associated with more than four times the cardiovascular event risk, while elevated hsCRP showed approximately 1.6 times the risk. Critically, combining both measurements provided superior risk stratification compared to either measure alone.

This explains why CardiAction's approach is scientifically sound: PWA identifies individuals with vascular stress who warrant comprehensive assessment, including hsCRP testing. Together, these measures paint a fuller picture of cardiovascular risk than either can provide independently.

Why CardiAction is a reliable initial risk indicator

CardiAction uses validated PWA outputs from the Uscom BP+ machine together with other biometrics and embedded science in the CardiAction ProScreen platform to generate a personalised risk indicator, generate a detailed results report and include tailored recommendations for immediate interventions that can lower your risk. The real-time risk of you having a stroke or heart attack. This indicator does not diagnose disease and does not measure hsCRP. It highlights a physiologic risk pattern that is consistent with increased vascular stress and may be associated with inflammatory burden in many people. In practice, if CardiAction ProScreen flags elevated risk based on PWA and related measures, the ACC statement provides a clear next step for clinicians to consider hsCRP testing as part of a fuller assessment.  

Plain-English note: PWA is like listening to how a pressure wave moves through a hose. If the hose is stiff or narrowed, the wave looks different. In people, that stiffness is often linked with hidden inflammation. The cuff test cannot see the inflammation directly. It shows its effects on the arteries, which is why a follow-up blood test for hsCRP can be useful.

What this means for patients, clinicians and health systems

For patients

Adding hsCRP to routine checks can uncover hidden inflammation that raises risk even when cholesterol looks fine. CardiAction ProScreen offers a fast community screening that reads the artery’s pressure wave and assessed with the help of the CardiAction ProScreen platform can prompt the right follow-up conversation with your GP.  

For clinicians

Use CardiAction ProScreen PWA-guided risk indications to target further investigation. When a patient shows adverse central pressure or stiffness patterns on a validated CardiAction ProScreen PWA assessment, consider hsCRP testing and proven anti-inflammatory strategies where indicated. This connects a physiologic signal with a laboratory marker that the ACC has highlighted for risk assessment.  

For health systems

Validated PWA can be deployed at scale in primary care and pharmacy settings to find people with vascular stress earlier. Linking these findings to hsCRP testing pathways enables more precise prevention and more efficient use of resources. Arterial stiffness metrics and central blood pressure also add independent prognostic information beyond standard risk factors.  

How CardiAction is aligned

CardiAction was built on the principle that vascular stress and inflammation drive risk beyond what cholesterol alone can explain. Our approach identifies people who are SMuRF-less but, in effect, inflamed, meaning they lack standard risk factors yet still show a high-risk vascular pattern. We deliver rapid pharmacy-based screening, clear lifestyle guidance that reduces inflammatory burden, and support for clinicians when pharmacological treatment is appropriate.

Glossary

hsCRP

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein. A blood test that detects tiny amounts of inflammation linked to higher cardiovascular risk.  

Pulse Wave Analysis (PWA)

A non-invasive cuff test that records the pressure waveform at the arm and calculates central blood pressure and indices of arterial stiffness and wave reflection. It reflects how stiff the arteries are, not the blood chemistry.  

Central blood pressure

The pressure in the aorta near the heart. It relates more closely to organ load and outcomes than peripheral pressure alone.  

Residual inflammatory risk

Ongoing risk from inflammation when LDL is already controlled. An important reason to consider hsCRP and anti-inflammatory strategies.  

Important notes on claims and compliance

·       The Uscom BP+ measures central and brachial blood pressure and performs waveform analysis. It is FDA 510(k) cleared and TGA listed for these purposes. It is not an hsCRP device and is not a diagnostic for inflammation.  

The CardiAction ProScreen platform uses BP+ outputs and other biometrics and science to generate a risk indicator and detailed results report with tailored recommended interventions to lower risk. CardiAction does not diagnose disease and does not replace clinical judgement. Findings should be reviewed by a medical professional who may decide to order hsCRP testing and manage care consistent with guidelines and the ACC statement.