Effect of colchicine on C-reactive protein level following hospitalization for myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker of vascular inflammation with prognostic value for future cardiovascular events. This meta-analysis investigates the effect of colchicine, a cheap and widely available anti-inflammatory medication, on CRP levels in the months following myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane were queried from inception to April 2026 to identify randomized controlled trials comparing colchicine to placebo for at least 1 month following MI. The primary outcome was mean CRP level at follow-up. Effect estimates were pooled with random-effects models and reported as mean differences for continuous variables using 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Four studies met inclusion criteria comprising 3384 patients (mean age 60.7 years; 78.3% male), including 1669 patients randomized to the colchicine arm, and 1715 to placebo. Median follow-up period was 3 months (range: 1-6 months). Colchicine following MI resulted in a statistically significant decrease in mean CRP level (mg/L) at follow-up versus placebo (MD: -0.69; [-1.21, -0.17], p = 0.009). Heterogeneity of effect size estimates was high (I2 = 97%). CONCLUSION: Daily colchicine following MI decreases CRP at a median follow-up period of 3 months compared to placebo. The correlation between CRP reduction with colchicine and adverse cardiovascular event reduction warrants additional study.