Hs-CRP and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: A meta-analysis.
Inconsistent findings have been reported on the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and mortality risk. The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the association of elevated baseline hs-CRP levels with all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk in the general population.



PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for studies published from inception to October 2016. Prospective observational studies were eligible if they reported the effects of elevated baseline hs-CRP levels on cancer-related, cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in the general population. The pooled adjusted risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) comparing the highest to the lowest category of hs-CRP levels was used as association measures.



A total of 83,995 participants from 14 studies were identified. When comparing the highest to the lowest category of hs-CRP levels, the pooled RR was 1.25 (95% CI 1.13-1.38) for cancer-related mortality, 2.03 (95% CI 1.65-2.50) for cardiovascular mortality, and 1.75 (1.55-1.98) for all-cause mortality, respectively. Subgroup analysis showed that the effect of elevated hs-CRP levels on cancer-related mortality was observed in men (RR 1.26; 95% CI 1.11-1.43) but not in women (RR 1.03; 95% CI 0.83-1.27).



Elevated hs-CRP levels can independently predict risk of all-cause, cardiovascular mortality in the general population. However, the gender differences in the predictive role of hs-CRP on cancer mortality should to be further investigated.
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Yunwei
Y
Li
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Xiaoming
X
Zhong
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China. Electronic address: chengguanchangkf@sina.com.
Guanchang
G
Cheng
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Cuihua
C
Zhao
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Lei
L
Zhang
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Yan
Y
Hong
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Qilin
Q
Wan
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Ruili
R
He
Department of Cardiology, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, China.
Zhizhong
Z
Wang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
All-cause mortality; Cardiovascular mortality; High-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Meta-analysis