High Sensitive C-Reactive Protein as a Pro-inflammatory marker for the components of metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Background:Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is a clinical entity characterized by the cluster of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, atherogenic lipid profile, hypertension, abdominal obesity.CRP (C- reactive protein) is an acute-phase reactant and nonspecific marker of inflammation, produced predominantly in hepatocytes as a pentamer of identical subunits in response to several cytokines. The CRP in plaque deposition is highly complex, exerting pro-atherogenic effects in many cells involved in atherosclerosis. Materials and Methods:A cross sectional study was conducted by Department of Internal Medicine of Government Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, South India, a tertiary care centre catering to rural population. A total of hundred patients were included in the study. The components of metabolic syndrome were defined according to the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for South Asians.According to the guidelines, hs-CRP level of less than 1.0 mg/L is considered as low risk, 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L as moderate risk, and greater than 3.0 mg/L as high risk. Blood sample was drawn in the morning after 10 hours of fasting, to measure venous plasma glucose, serum total cholesterol, serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol,serum triglyceride levels (TG) and hsCRP. Results:A highly positive correlation was established between hS-CRP and all the components of metabolic syndrome except for HDL cholesterol which showed a negative correlation. A univariate type of analysis had shown a statistically significant association between hsCRP and the metabolic syndrome components. The result further showed that hS-CRP level was found to be 1.12mg/dl when only one component of metabolic syndrome was present, whereas the mean level had raised to 2.89mg/dl when all the five components of metabolic syndrome was present. Conclusion:Hence hs- CRP can probably be used as a surrogate marker of chronic ...