High-sensitivity C-reactive protein and coronary heart disease in a general population of Japanese: the Hisayama study.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on the risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a general population of Japanese.


RESULTS
The Hisayama study is a population-based prospective cohort study. A total of 2589 participants aged 40 years or older were followed up for 14 years. Outcomes are incident CHD (myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and sudden cardiac death). The median hs-CRP level was 0.43 mg/L at baseline. During the follow-up period, 129 coronary events were observed. Age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence rates of CHD rose progressively with higher hs-CRP levels: 1.6, 3.3, 4.5, and 7.4 per 1000 person-years for quartile groups defined by hs-CRP levels of <0.21, 0.21 to 0.43, 0.44 to 1.02, and >1.02 mg/L, respectively (P<0.0001 for trend). The risk of CHD in the highest quartile group was 2.98-fold (95% CI, 1.53 to 5.82) higher than that in the lowest group even after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
hs-CRP levels were clearly associated with future CHD events in a general population of Japanese. In Japanese populations, the hs-CRP cut-off point for high-risk of future development of CHD is likely to be >1.0 mg/L, which is much lower than that for Western populations.
Arima
Hisatomi
H
Department of Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. harima@envmed.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Kubo
Michiaki
M
Yonemoto
Koji
K
Doi
Yasufumi
Y
Ninomiya
Toshiharu
T
Tanizaki
Yumihiro
Y
Hata
Jun
J
Matsumura
Kiyoshi
K
Iida
Mitsuo
M
Kiyohara
Yutaka
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein