Even after surviving a heart attack, the danger may not be over. Findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 reveal that inflammation and lipid abnormalities act together to magnify the risk of future cardiovascular events.

Published in the Journal of Cardiology, this retrospective study evaluated 1,152 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention following acute myocardial infarction between 2004 and 2017. Patients were categorized into four groups based on median levels of lipoprotein(a) and C-reactive protein. Over a median follow-up of 2.5 years, 6.7% experienced major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events, including cardiovascular death, recurrent myocardial infarction, or stroke.

Those with both elevated lipoprotein(a) and high C-reactive protein faced a 2.6-fold higher risk of recurrent events compared with patients showing lower levels. The authors emphasize that simultaneous targeting of lipid and inflammatory pathways could help improve secondary prevention in post-infarction care.