title: Effect of plasma C-reactive protein levels in modulating the risk of coronary heart disease associated with small, dense, low-density lipoproteins in men (The Quebec Cardiovascular Study).
abstract: This purpose of this study was to investigate how plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), a nonspecific acute-phase reactant, modulates the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) associated with the small, dense, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) phenotype. LDL particle size and plasma CRP were measured in the Quebec Cardiovascular Study cohort of 2,025 men free of CHD at baseline, among whom 103 had a first CHD event during a 5-year follow-up period. Plasma CRP levels were measured using the Behring Latex-Enhanced (highly sensitive) CRP assay. LDL particle size phenotype was characterized using 2% to 16% polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis. There were weak but significant associations between plasma CRP levels and features of LDL size, such as the proportion of LDL with a diameter <255 A (r = 0.09, p <0.001) and LDL peak particle size (r = -0.09, p <0.001). Variations in plasma CRP levels modulated the risk of CHD associated with small LDL peak particle size (relative risk 4.3 vs 2.5 in men with high vs low plasma CRP levels, respectively) and with an elevated proportion of LDL <255 A (relative risk 6.6 vs 3.0). Thus, increased plasma CRP levels further elevate the risk of CHD associated with having small, dense LDL particles.
authors.affiliation: Institute on Nutraceuticals and Fonctionnal Foods, Laval University, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Annie C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: St-Pierre
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergeron
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pirro
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cantin
authors.forename: Gilles R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dagenais
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Després
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lamarche
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000032:analysis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010316:Particle Size; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002097:C-Reactive Protein