The relationship between C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk factors

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein is an acute phase reactant, which can be increased by either (both) infectious or (and) non-infectious and non-specific reaction of cells and tissue metabolism. Also C-reactive protein is known to have a relationship between changes in lipid and glucose metabolism. In recent studies, the possibility of being a prognostic factor of cardiovascular risk factors and serum C-reactive protein concentration within conventional reference ranges in otherwise normal people has also received little attention. Therefore, in this study, we tried to look for the relationship between C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk factors of a healthy adult. METHODS: We analyzed the results of the surveys and chemistries given to 3,548 healthy men and women who have visited the heath promotion center in a certain university hospital. We assayed the C-reactive protein by means of rate nephelometry. We omitted the case of 123 people who went over 1mg/dL. We compared C-reactive protein of normal and abnormal range of each risk factor and went through the multiple regression analysis for the factors with significant differences. RESULTS: When C-reactive protein concentration of normal and abnormal of cardiovascular risk factors were compared by t-test, there were differences according to age (p<0.001), sex (p<0.001), body mass index (p<0.001), WBC (p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (p<0.001), diastolic pressure (p<0.001), total cholesterol (p<0.00), HDL-cholesterol (p<0.05) and smoking (p<0.01). We could not find any significant difference of triglycerides. After going through multiple regression analysis for the risk factors, which showed a significant difference by t-test, we found out that the C-reactive protein increased as cholesterol (p<0.01), body mass index (p<0.01) and WBC (p<0.001) increased. As for HDL-cholesterol (p<0.001), the C-reactive protein increased as it decreased. Age, sex, smoking history, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure did not show significant relationship we were looking for. CONCLUSION: C-reactive protein was not related to age, smoking history ,blood pressure, and triglycerides among cardiovascular risk factors, but was related to body mass index, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and WBC. This relationship indicated that even if the C-reactive protein was in normal range a person with C-reactive protein should be aware of the risk involved for cardiovascular diseases.