Increased levels of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen influence the risk of vascular events in patients with NIDDM.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the predictive role of hs-CRP and fibrinogen for cardio- and cerebrovascular events in a population of patients with type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
We studied 156 patients with type 2 diabetes, mean age 66+10 years, and 156 sex and age matched control subjects. Patients underwent physical examination, EKG, measurement of body mass index and blood pressure. A blood sample was drawn to evaluate glycaemia, total and HDL/LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), fibrinogen. Finally, patients underwent an ecocolordoppler examination of the common carotid arteries until the bifurcation. In a follow-up of 5+/-1.2 years we evaluated the following events: transient ischemic attack, ischemic stroke, stable or unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, critical limb ischemia and cardiovascular death.


RESULTS
During the follow-up the prevalence of fatal (p<0.05) and non fatal events (p<0.0001) was higher in patients with diabetes in comparison with controls. The variables independently associated with non fatal events were: fibrinogen (p<0.0001), presence of asymptomatic carotid lesion (p<0.005), obesity (p<0.05) and plasma levels of hs-CRP (p<0.05), while fibrinogen (p<0.001) and age were (p<0.05) independently associated with fatal events.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data show that in patients with diabetes mellitus, that in the follow-up the presence of high plasma levels of hs-CRP and fibrinogen are predictive for fatal or non fatal events.
Coppola
Giuseppe
G
Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and Nephro-Urological Diseases, University of Palermo, Chair of Cardiovascular Disease, Palermo, Italy. koppolus@libero.it
Corrado
Egle
E
Muratori
Ida
I
Tantillo
Rosalba
R
Vitale
Giustina
G
Lo Coco
L
L
Novo
Salvatore
S
D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
D005340:Fibrinogen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein