Elevated C-reactive protein associates with early-stage carotid atherosclerosis in young subjects with type 1 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether low-grade inflammation contributes to early-stage advanced carotid atherosclerosis in young subjects with type 1 diabetes.


METHODS
The mean and maximum (max) intima-media thicknesses (IMT) of the carotid artery were assessed using ultrasound B-mode imaging in 55 patients with type 1 diabetes (22 men and 33 women, aged 22.1 +/- 3.6 years (+/- SD), duration of diabetes 14.2 +/- 5.7 years) and 75 age-matched healthy nondiabetic subjects (28 men and 47 women). High-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were measured with a latex-enhanced immunonephelometer.


RESULTS
The patients with type 1 diabetes had significantly higher hs-CRP levels (median 0.35, range 0.05-1.47 mg/l vs. median 0.14, range 0.05-1.44 mg/l; P = 0.001) as well as significantly higher mean IMT and max IMT than the nondiabetic subjects (mean IMT 0.76 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.72 +/- 0.04 mm, P = 0.003; max IMT 0.84 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.06 mm, P < 0.0001). Hs-CRP levels were significantly correlated with the mean and max IMT of patients with type 1 diabetes and with the max IMT of nondiabetic patients. Multivariate regression analyses for both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects as a single group showed that hs-CRP levels are independently correlated with the mean IMT and max IMT levels (P = 0.002 and P = 0.023, respectively) as well as with diastolic blood pressure, sex, and duration of diabetes.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that hs-CRP levels are elevated in young patients with type 1 diabetes, possibly corresponding with early-stage advanced carotid atherosclerosis.
Hayaishi-Okano
Rieko
R
Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
Yamasaki
Yoshimitsu
Y
Katakami
Naoto
N
Ohtoshi
Kentaro
K
Gorogawa
Shin-Ichi
S
Kuroda
Akio
A
Matsuhisa
Munehide
M
Kosugi
Keisuke
K
Nishikawa
Norikiyo
N
Kajimoto
Yoshitaka
Y
Hori
Masatsugu
M
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein