High-sensitivity C-reactive protein predicts target organ damage in Chinese patients with metabolic syndrome

Observational studies established high-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a risk factor for cardiovascular events in the general population. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between target organ damage and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in a cohort of Chinese patients with metabolic syndrome. A total of 1082 consecutive patients of Chinese origin were screened for the presence of metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and target organ damage, including cardiac hypertrophy, carotid intima-media thickness, and renal impairment, were investigated. The median (25th and 75th percentiles) of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in 619 patients with metabolic syndrome was 2.42 mg/L (0.75 and 3.66 mg/L) compared with 1.13 mg/L (0.51 and 2.46 mg/L) among 463 control subjects (P < .01). There was a progressive increase in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level with the number of components of the metabolic syndrome. Stratification of patients with metabolic syndrome into 3 groups according to their high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations (<1.0, 1.0-3.0, and >3.0 mg/L) showed that the subjects with the elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein had a higher percentage of target organ damage than those with lower high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Stepwise multiple logistic regression confirmed that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was significantly associated with cardiac hypertrophy, carotid intima-media thickness, and renal impairment. The study shows a strong independent association between inflammation and target organ damage in a large cohort of patients of Chinese origin with metabolic syndrome.