[Factors influencing CRP levels in the diabetic population].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors influencing CRP serum levels in the diabetic population.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

Eighty-six patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were prospectively included. The following variables were considered: age, gender, smoking habit, body mass index (BMI), glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, albumin excretion rate, CRP and E-selectin.

RESULTS

CRP serum levels were associated with: gender (men: 1.4 mg/L [0.03-12.8] vs. women: 3.4 [0.07-80.7]; p = 0.02), age (r = 0.34, p = 0.001), BMI (r = 0.45, p < 0.001), triglycerides (r = 0.24, p = 0.03) and E-selectin (r = 0.21, p = 0.02). Those patients with at least one component of the metabolic syndrome, besides diabetes mellitus, had higher CRP concentrations in comparison with those patients without other components of the metabolic syndrome (2.4 mg/L [0.3-23.1] vs. 4.2 mg/L [0.6-80.7]; p = 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, gender (p = 0.001) and BMI (p = 0.01) were independently associated with the CRP concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

Gender and BMI are the main factors to be considered when analyzing CRP levels in the diabetic population. Metabolic syndrome components other than diabetes are related to CRP levels in type 2 diabetic patients.