CRP and irritable bowel syndrome: Examples of this are the alterations in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio associated with hypertension and the enrichment in Streptococcus spp.-Enterobacteriaceae, including Escherichia coli, which is observed in patients with IBD and CVD [23-25]. Also, this imbalance may increase intestinal permeability, leading to elevated absorption of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the intestines, which in turn increases the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, exacerbating atherosclerosis, inducing macrophage activation, vascular endothelialitis and increasing CRP [25].