title: C-reactive protein levels and risk of stroke and its subtype in Japanese: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiological studies have shown high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) to predict cardiovascular disease. However, there are only limited studies on the effects of hs-CRP levels on risk of stroke especially stroke subtypes. We examined associations of hs-CRP levels with risks of total stroke and its subtypes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective nested case-control study of Japanese 40-85 years of age was conducted using frozen serum samples collected from 13,521 men and women who participated in cardiovascular risk surveys from 1984 to 2001 for one community and 1989 to 1998 for the other two communities under the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS). Three control subjects per case were matched by sex, age, community, year of serum storage, and fasting status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By the end of 2005, we identified 261 incident strokes (165 ischemic strokes and 96 hemorrhagic strokes). There was a positive association between hs-CRP and incidence of incidence of total stroke, ischemic stroke and lacunar infarction. After further adjustment for known cardiovascular risk factors, these relationships remained statistically significant. The multivariable conditional odds ratios associated with 1-SD increment of log-transformed hs-CRP were 1.17(1.01-1.35) for total stroke, 1.27(1.06-1.52) for ischemic stroke, and 1.24(1.00-1.55) for lacunar infarction. The association between hs-CRP levels and incidence of ischemic stroke did not vary by sex, age, body mass index and smoking. No associations were found between hs-CRP levels and risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  hs-CRP predicts the incidence of total and ischemic strokes among middle-aged Japanese men and women.
authors: Department of Public Health Medicine, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, and Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan.
authors: Choy-Lye
authors: CL
authors: Chei
authors: Kazumasa
authors: K
authors: Yamagishi
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Kitamura
authors: Masahiko
authors: M
authors: Kiyama
authors: Hironori
authors: H
authors: Imano
authors: Tetsuya
authors: T
authors: Ohira
authors: Renzhe
authors: R
authors: Cui
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Tanigawa
authors: Tomoko
authors: T
authors: Sankai
authors: Yoshinori
authors: Y
authors: Ishikawa
authors: Shinichi
authors: S
authors: Sato
authors: Hiroyasu
authors: H
authors: Iso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein