High HS-CRP results on blood test

hi. i'm a 35 year old white male. 5'6 170 pounds. slightly overweight.  No drinking , no alcohol. But smoke very heavily. Pack a day for 15 years .  Recent results of bloodwork as follows

cholesterol    179          (6 months ago 231)
triglycerides  177         (6 months ago 216)
hdl             91                (6 months ago 38)
ldl             53                (6 months ago  150)

I realize the only thing that is abnormal  here are my  triglycerides levels,  which should be under 150.
I also realize I’ve  impoved my levels as  compared to my previous results from 6 months ago .
I think I can attribute the improvement to daily regimen of flax seed oil  and celery juice.
My concern however is the following.  This is the first and only time i've had a HS- CRP test and it came back as high   4.0 to be exact.   I did not notice this test while at my docs office. She says my results are great. But the lab report states otherwise. It states an elevated hs-crp ALONG with an elevated total cholestrol shows greater risk of future mi.  My understanding of this is  that high hs-crp levels have to show up ALONG  with high total cholestrol levels to be at a high risk

1. is my understanding correct ?
2. what if my cholestrol goes up again. Will that then put me at high risk?
3. I have been taking aspirin over the last year as a precaution AGAINTS my doctor’s advice. She thinks i don't need it.  If I stop taking aspirin will the hs-crp go up even higher?
4. what causes hs-crp levels to be high?
5. how can I reverse these high readings?
6. what is my risk level for mi from all the levels. Chol, trygs and hs-crp levels combined?
7. how often should I be tested for cardio lipids?  

Thank you for your time . Hope to hear from you soon.
Mike

[Mukesh Garg, MD]

You are right, although a high CRP level does suggest higher risk for all cholestrol levels. It suggests high risk  if your LDL cholestrol is elevated. High CRP levels happen with any inflammation in our body. hs CRP may be able to detect inflammation in the coronary vessels and that is how it may be able to predict risk of future events .I f your HDL is truly higher than your LDL as you have reported, your risk from these numbers is not high at present

[steve116]

A related discussion, elevated hs-crp and levated ldl was started.