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Survey of C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk factors in apparently healthy men
L E Rohde1, C H Hennekens, P M Ridker
1Brigham and Women's Hospital, The Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Insights
C-reactive protein (CRP) levels correlate with numerous cardiovascular disease risk factors in healthy men. Higher CRP is linked to increased risk factors, suggesting CRP may indicate preclinical cardiovascular disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Biomarkers
- Public Health
Background:
- Prospective studies link C-reactive protein (CRP) to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
- Limited research explores CRP's relationship with other CVD risk factors.
- Understanding these interrelations is crucial for CVD prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and various cardiovascular risk factors.
- To identify independent correlates of CRP in apparently healthy men.
- To determine if CRP levels increase with the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 1,172 apparently healthy men.
- Measured CRP levels and a comprehensive panel of cardiovascular risk factors.
- Utilized multivariate analysis to identify independent correlates of CRP.
Main Results:
- Significant positive associations found between CRP and age, smoking, BMI, blood pressure, lipids, and clotting factors.
- Inverse associations observed with exercise frequency and protective lipoproteins (HDL, ApoA-I, ApoA-II).
- Age, smoking, tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen, fibrinogen, lipoprotein(a), and homocysteine were independent CRP correlates.
Conclusions:
- CRP levels are associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors in healthy men.
- Progressive increases in CRP were noted with a higher prevalence of risk factors.
- CRP may serve as a valuable marker for preclinical cardiovascular disease.
Abstract:
Several prospective studies have demonstrated a direct association between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the risks of developing cardiovascular disease. Few studies, however, have explored the interrelations between CRP levels and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We evaluated the relation of CRP with several cardiovascular risk factors in a cross-sectional survey of 1,172 apparently healthy men. There were significant positive associations between CRP levels and age, number of cigarettes smoked per day, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein B, tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen, D-dimers, total homocysteine, and fibrinogen (all p values <0.05). Significant inverse associations were observed for exercise frequency, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein A-I and A-II (all p values <0.02). In multivariate analysis, age, smoking status, and serum levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen, fibrinogen, lipoprotein(a), and total homocysteine were independent correlates of CRP levels. Finally, in an analysis controlled either for all the independent correlates or for several usual risk factors, we observed progressive increases in levels of CRP with increasing prevalence of risk factors (p for trend <0.001 for independent correlates and <0.01 for usual risk factors). In conclusion, in a large cohort of apparently healthy men, CRP levels were associated with several cardiovascular risk factors. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that CRP levels may be a marker for preclinical cardiovascular disease.