Association of high sensitivity C-reactive protein with the components of metabolic syndrome in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.

Background And Objectives: High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) has been associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. Several studies have suggested hsCRP to be used as a marker for the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. So, we aimed to evaluate the association between hsCRP levels and the components of MetS in diabetic and non-diabetic population.

Materials And Methods: Type II diabetic patients (T2DM) (n= 121) and healthy controls (n= 121) were enrolled for the study. Anthropometric measurements were taken along with blood pressure from the arm. Ten ml of blood was collected after overnight fasting for the measurement of lipid profile, hsCRP, C-peptide and glucose levels. Insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) was estimated by HOMA2 calculator utilizing glucose and C-peptide values. All participants were classified into two groups on the basis of the presence or absence of MetS. Data were analysed through SPSS 14 software.

Results: hsCRP, C-peptide and HOMA2-IR were significantly higher in T2DM subjects when compared with controls. As the number of the components of MetS increased, there was a linear increase in hsCRP levels in whole study population (p trend <.001), diabetic subjects (p trend <.001), as well as in controls (p trend <.001). HOMA2-IR and hsCRP levels were found to be better than LDL cholesterol and waist circumference for predicting the presence of MetS.

Conclusion: hsCRP was found to be better than LDL cholesterol and waist circumference for the prediction of MetS. Hence, hsCRP could be used as a defining marker of MetS in the near future.