Background: The elevated level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP) and aortic stiffness are associated with high mortality in type 2 diabetic patients. We tested the hypothesis that the HSCRP correlates with aortic stiffness and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients.
Material and methods: The study consisted of 46 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes and high HSCRP group (0.3–1.0 mg/dl, age: 57±5 years, mean±s.d.) and a control group of 55 age-matched patients with low HSCRP group (<0.3 mg/dl, 57±6 years). Brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV) was measured by automatic oscillometric method and was used as an index of atherosclerosis.
Results: The body mass index (BMI) values (P<0.05) and waist circumferences (P<0.0005) and the waist-to-hip ratios (P<0.05) were higher in the high HSCRP group than in the low HSCRP group. The BaPWV was higher in the high HSCRP group than in the low HSCRP group (P<0.0001). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG; P<0.005) and insulin concentrations (P<0.0001), and the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index (P<0.0001), were higher in the high HSCRP group than in the low HSCRP group. Multiple regression analysis showed that HSCRP levels were independently predicted by BaPWV and HOMA index.
Conclusions: Our results indicate that the elevated level of HSCRP in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes is characterized by increased aortic stiffness and insulin resistance, and that the BaPWV and HOMA index are independent predictors of HSCRP.
Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels Are Associated With High Risk of Development, Not Progression, of Diabetic Nephropathy Among Japanese Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study (Diabetes Distress and Care Registry at Tenri [DDCRT7])
