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Association of Serum Total Bilirubin with Serum High Sensitivity C-reactive Protein in Middle-aged Men
Kiwoong Yu1, Cheolhwan Kim, Eunju Sung
1Department of Family Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Higher serum total bilirubin (sTB) levels are linked to lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Korean men. This study found an inverse association between sTB and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a key CVD indicator.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiovascular Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Bilirubin's antioxidant properties suggest a potential inverse relationship with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Limited data exist on serum total bilirubin (sTB) and CVD risk factors in the Korean population.
- High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an established independent risk factor for CVD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between serum total bilirubin (sTB) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in Korean men.
- To determine if sTB levels correlate with other cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 6,800 Korean men was conducted.
- Subjects were grouped by serum hsCRP levels (above or below 1.0 mg/L) and by quartiles of sTB.
- Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for known CVD risk factors.
Main Results:
- Serum hsCRP showed significant associations with BMI, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, fasting plasma glucose, systolic blood pressure, alanine aminotransferase, and TC/HDL-C ratio.
- Increasing sTB levels correlated with decreased age, smoking rates, BMI, and TC/HDL ratio.
- Compared to the lowest quartile, higher sTB quartiles demonstrated a significant inverse relationship with hsCRP levels (ORs ranging from 0.82 to 0.63).
Conclusions:
- Bilirubin levels may be inversely associated with hsCRP.
- This suggests a potential protective role of bilirubin against cardiovascular disease risk in Korean men.
Background:
It has been suggested that bilirubin has an inverse association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to its antioxidant properties. However, there are few data regarding the relationship between serum total bilirubin (sTB) and risk factors for CVD in Koreans. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sTB and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), which is an independent risk factor for CVD.
Methods:
We performed a cross sectional study in 6,800 men who were examined at a health promotion center at a university hospital in Korea between May 2005 and June 2006. We grouped the subjects according to values of serum hsCRP (above or below 1.0 mg/L) and compared the characteristics of the two groups. To evaluate the relationship between sTB and hsCRP, we classified the subjects according to quartile values of sTB. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship of levels of sTB and hsCRP after adjusting for known risk factors for CVD.
Results:
Serum hsCRP was significantly associated with body mass index (BMI), smoking, diabetes, hypertension, fasting plasma glucose, systolic blood pressure, alanine aminotransferase, and total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein (TC/HDL-C) ratio, but not with age or alcohol use. As levels of sTB increased, there was a decrease in age, numbers of smokers, BMI, and TC/HDL ratio. Compared to the lowest quartile of sTB, levels of hsCRP decreased with odds ratios of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.71 to 0.96), 0.75 (95% CI, 0.65 to 0.88), and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.74) in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles of bilirubin, respectively.
Conclusion:
Bilirubin may be inversely associated with hsCRP.
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