High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Is Associated with Prediabetes and Adiposity in Korean Youth

Obesity, a chronic low-grade inflammatory state, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels are associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome in adults. This study aimed to determine the association of hs-CRP and cardiometabolic risk factors, including obesity, prediabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, in the nationally representative data of Korean youth. Anthropometric, biochemical, physical activity (PA), and nutritional survey data were collected for 1,723 youths (918 boys, 53.5%), aged 10-18 years, from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015-2017). Participants were classified into three groups according to hs-CRP tertile. Abdominal obesity, impaired fasting glucose, elevated triglyceride, decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and elevated blood pressure, and prediabetes [glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) 5.7%-6.4%] were compared according to sex and hs-CRP tertile. The ranges of each hs-CRP tertile were ≤0.3, 0.31-0.5, and >0.5 mg/L, respectively. hs-CRP was positively associated with body mass index (BMI) z-score (P < 0.001) and HbA1c (P = 0.012), and negatively with HDL cholesterol (P = 0.029), after adjusting confounding variables, including age, sex, BMI, white blood cell count, PA, and nutritional factors. The upper tertile of hs-CRP was associated with obesity [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 12.07, P < 0.001] and prediabetes (aOR 3.08, P = 0.002). Elevated hs-CRP is associated with high BMI z-score and HbA1c, and low HDL cholesterol in Korean children and adolescents. Hence, hs-CRP could be a reliable indicator for adiposity, prediabetes, and abnormal lipid metabolism in the pediatric population.