High-sensitivity C-reactive protein: a predicative marker in severe asthma.
OBJECTIVE
Serum levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) are associated with asthma but the relationship between higher levels of hs-CRP and the degree of asthma severity remains unclear. This study investigated whether hs-CRP is associated with asthma severity as well as with other clinical indices of asthma activity (pulmonary function, total serum IgE, and peripheral blood eosinophil counts).


METHODS
Levels of hs-CRP and clinical indices of asthma were determined among 177 control subjects and 281 asthmatic patients (84 intermittent, 30 mild, 63 moderate and 104 severe).


RESULTS
The level of hs-CRP was examined as both a continuous variable and by quartiles (<0.23, 0.23-0.51, 0.51-1.42 and >or=1.42 mg/L) in the five groups. Compared with the first quartile of hs-CRP, patients with higher levels were at increased risk of severe asthma independently of other clinical indices (adjusted OR 3.49, 95% CI: 1.51-8.12 for the third quartile; adjusted OR 6.46, 95% CI: 2.85-16.62 for fourth quartile, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that hs-CRP might be a sensitive marker for severe asthma.
Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Fen-Hong
FH
Qian
Qian
Q
Zhang
Lin-Fu
LF
Zhou
Hua
H
Liu
Mao
M
Huang
Xi-Long
XL
Zhang
Kai-Sheng
KS
Yin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein