title: Association of high sensitivity C-reactive protein with coronary heart disease prediction, but not with carotid atherosclerosis, in patients with hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inflammation is believed to predict coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy subjects and in patients with atherosclerosis. We investigated the association of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) and other inflammatory markers on cardiovascular outcome, and carotid atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study of 122 hypertensive patients and compared them with 64 normotensive volunteers. We measured circulating levels of HS-CRP, white blood cells (WBC), albumin, fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and interleukin-6, and examined the associations with traditional risk factors of CHD, carotid atherosclerosis, and a 10-year risk of CHD, based on the risk prediction algorithm of the Framingham model. The mean of blood pressure (BP) of the hypertensive patients was 163/102 mmHg (normotensives; 118/79 mmHg). The 10-year risk of CHD was higher in the hypertensive patients (9.3 +/- 7.3%) compared with the normotensive volunteers (4.3 +/- 4.2%). Albumin and HS-CRP were significantly higher in the hypertensive patients. Multivariate analysis showed that among markers, only HS-CRP was associated with 10-year risk of CHD (beta=0.13, p=0.03). The BP, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein, WBC count, fibrinogen, and cardiac hypertrophy increased across quartiles of HS-CRP. There was no association between HS-CRP and carotid atherosclerosis in subjects with hypertension and normotension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A higher HS-CRP level was associated with a higher risk score of CHD, but not with carotid atherosclerosis, in patients with hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Samsung Cheil Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Dong Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hyun Ho
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jeong Bae
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000097:blood; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008055:Lipids; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D002097:C-Reactive Protein