title: Relationship of C-reactive protein with components of the metabolic syndrome in a Tunisian population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  C-reactive protein (CRP) is an independent risk factor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and it is proposed as a component of metabolic syndrome (MS). This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between CRP and various characteristics of the MS in a sample of the Tunisian population
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and forty nine patients with MS and 152 controls, aged 35-70 years were recruited. Waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), glucose, insulin and CRP were measured. Insulin resistance was assessed by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). MS was defined by NCEP-ATPIII report
  
  
  RESULTS
  CRP levels were significantly higher in MS group (4.41±3.73 mg/L vs. 2.68±2.59 mg/L, p<0.001) compared to without MS group. For both sexes, CRP increased as the number of MS components increased (p=0.015 for men and p<0.001) after adjustment for age, smoking, alcohol intake and, for women, menopause. There were statistically significant positive correlations for log CRP with WC, log TG, and log HOMA-IR in both sexes adjusted for confounding factors listed above. A significant negative correlation was found between HDL-C and log CRP only in women. In both sexes, WC was identified, by multiple linear regression models, as significant independent predictor of CRP level variability. HDL-C showed also a significant contribution only in women
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study provides evidence that CRP levels are elevated in MS subjects. In addition, WC and HDL-C are significant predictors of the CRP elevation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Tunis, Tunisia. hanen_belfki@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Hanen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Belfki
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben Ali
authors.forename: Souha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bougatef
authors.forename: Decy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ben Ahmed
authors.forename: Najet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Awatef
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jmal
authors.forename: Monia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdennebi
authors.forename: Habiba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ben Romdhane
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein