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Relations of plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein to traditional cardiovascular risk factors
Mayumi Saito1, Toshihiko Ishimitsu, Junichi Minami
1Department of Hypertension and Cardiorenal Medicine, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Mibu, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan.
Insights
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels correlate with cardiovascular disease risk factors like age, smoking, and obesity. Elevated hsCRP indicates chronic inflammation and may predict coronary artery disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
- Inflammation Research
Background:
- Circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are indicators of chronic cardiovascular inflammation.
- High-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) shows promise as a marker for coronary heart disease.
- Understanding hsCRP's relationship with cardiovascular risk factors is crucial for disease prediction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the relationship between hsCRP and established cardiovascular risk factors.
- To investigate hsCRP levels in individuals with and without treated cardiovascular conditions.
- To identify independent predictors of hsCRP variation in a general population.
Main Methods:
- Plasma hsCRP was measured using ELISA in 908 subjects aged 30-79.
- hsCRP levels were compared between healthy individuals and those with hypertension, diabetes, or coronary artery disease.
- Simple and multiple regression analyses were performed to identify correlations with risk factors.
Main Results:
- hsCRP levels were significantly higher in patients treated for hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.
- In healthy subjects, hsCRP positively correlated with male gender, smoking, BMI, systolic blood pressure, WBC count, hemoglobin, glucose, gamma-GTP, and triglycerides.
- Independent predictors of hsCRP included white blood cell count, body mass index, age, and smoking.
Conclusions:
- Circulating hsCRP levels, even within the normal range, are associated with key cardiovascular risk factors.
- hsCRP variation is linked to factors promoting atherosclerosis, including age, smoking, obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.
- These findings suggest hsCRP's role in the multifactorial development of cardiovascular diseases like coronary artery disease.
Abstract:
Variations of circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are supposed to reflect chronic inflammatory process of the cardiovascular system. In particular, it has been reported that high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) is a promising marker of coronary heart disease. In the present study, we assessed the relationship between hsCRP and classic cardiovascular risk factors, such as age, blood pressure, smoking habit and serum lipids. Plasma hsCRP was measured by ELISA in 908 subjects, aged 30-79 years, who entered our health-check program. Plasma hsCRP level was 0.54+/-0.02 mg/l in 566 subjects without any disease currently treated. The level was significantly higher in patients treated for hypertension (0.74+/-0.06 mg/l, P=0.002), diabetes mellitus (0.77+/-0.09 mg/l, P=0.016) or coronary artery disease (0.99+/-0.16 mg/l, P=0.008) than in subjects without diseases. In a simple regression analyses of the 566 subjects without diseases, plasma hsCRP positively correlated with male gender, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, white blood cell count, blood hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, serum gamma-GTP, uric acid and triglycerides, and inversely correlated with serum albumin and HDL-cholesterol. In multiple regression analysis, white blood cell count (r=0.276, P<0.001), body mass index (r=0.246, P<0.001), age (r=0.122, P=0.001) and smoking (r=0.112, P=0.009) showed independent correlations with plasma hsCRP. It is suggested that variation of circulating hsCRP, even within normal range, is involved in the interrelation of cardiovascular risk factors, such as age, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia, which are supposed to promote atherosclerosis and ultimately provoke cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease.