title: Sex hormone-binding globulin and serum testosterone are inversely associated with C-reactive protein levels in postmenopausal women at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  C-reactive protein (CRP), androgens, and menopausal loss of endogenous estrogens are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that high androgens, low estradiol, and low sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) would be associated with high CRP in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  CRP, SHBG, estradiol, and total testosterone were measured using baseline bloods of 221 hormone therapy (HT)-nonusers and 162 HT-users from a cross-sectional analysis in a nested case-control sample of the Women's Health Study. Hormones and CRP were ln-transformed and relationships were assessed with Spearman correlations and linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ln-SHBG (beta=-0.40; p<0.01) and ln-testosterone (beta=-0.24; p=0.04) were the only independent hormonal predictors of ln-CRP among HT-nonusers after adjusting for age, hypertension, smoking, body mass index, diabetes, exercise, HDL cholesterol, alcohol intake, and CVD occurrence during follow-up. Upon stratification, the association between ln-SHBG and ln-CRP persisted among HT nonusers who subsequently developed CVD (beta=-0.55; p=0.01), but not among women who remained CVD-free (p=0.28). The inverse relationship between ln-SHBG and ln-CRP was strongest among the leanest women. None of the sex-hormones predicted ln-CRP among HT-users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SHBG and total testosterone were inversely associated with CRP among HT nonusers in this study. The relationship between SHBG and CRP was more strongly inverse among leaner women.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Hylton V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Joffe
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ridker
authors.forename: Joann E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Manson
authors.forename: Nancy R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Buring
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rexrode
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D002097:C-Reactive Protein