Association between plasma alkaline phosphatase and C-reactive protein in Hong Kong Chinese.

BACKGROUND

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is a biomarker for hepatobiliary and skeletal diseases. It is also raised in sepsis. In atherosclerotic plaques, ALP is expressed. Similar to C-reactive protein (CRP), it may be another marker of systemic inflammation. Therefore, we investigated their association in a Hong Kong Chinese population.

METHODS

Plasma ALP and CRP were measured in 205 subjects (110 men, 95 women; age 55.2+/-11.6 years) in the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study-2 cohort.

RESULTS

The blood levels of ALP and CRP were significantly correlated (r=0.30, p<0.001), which was due to a significant correlation in women (r=0.43, p<0.001). In a multivariate model, CRP level was related to ALP (beta=0.18, p=0.008). After adjusting for confounding factors and other liver enzymes, the relationship between ALP and CRP remained significant in women (beta=0.28, p=0.019), but in men, ALP was not an independent determinant of CRP levels.

CONCLUSIONS

ALP may be another marker of systemic inflammation, especially in women. Whether it provides clinical information additional to CRP requires further study.