Does High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein or Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Show a Stronger Relationship with the Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Healthy Community Dwellers?: the KOBE Study

Abstract

Aim: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) identifies individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) without an increased level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The present study was performed to compare hs-CRP and LDL-C in association with the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in Japanese community dwellers considered to be at low risk for atherosclerosis from their level of traditional CVD risk factors. Methods: A community-based study involving 386 healthy Japanese (261 men and 125 women) without a history of CVD and medications for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia was performed. Multiple adjustments were performed with linear regression models to estimate the association between CAVI and hs-CRP or LDL-C levels. The participants were divided into four groups on the basis of whether they were above or below the median hs-CRP and LDL-C values, and CAVI was compared among the four groups by analysis of covariance after adjusting for confounders. Results: In multiple linear regression models, hs-CRP showed a significant positive association with CAVI; however, no clear association was observed between CAVI and LDL-C. These results were similar in the analyses among the participants with LDL-C ＜140 mg/dL or hs-CRP ＜1.0 mg/L. CAVI was higher in the groups with high hs-CRP than in those with low hs-CRP, irrespective of LDL-C; however, CAVI was highest in the group with high LDL-C and high hs-CRP. Conclusions: The present study suggests that hs-CRP could be a better risk factor assessor for atherosclerosis than LDL-C in individuals considered to be at low risk for atherosclerosis assessed by their traditional CVD risk factors.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness is a Strong Predictor of the Cardio-ankle Vascular Index in Hypertensive Middle-aged and Elderly Japanese Men

“…In our study population, however, no blood lipid parameters were associated with the ageadjusted CAVI ( Table 2). In concordance with these results, several studies have failed to detect a significant association between the CAVI and blood lipid levels [36][37][38] . Higashiyama et al 36) reported that the CAVI is more strongly correlated with the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level than with the LDL cholesterol level.…”

Increased C-reactive Protein Associates with Elevated Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Chinese Adults with Normal Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels

“…Measuring CRP has been recommended to identify patients at high risk for CHD in apparently healthy people with low LDL 3) . CRPisastrongerpredictorofatherosclerosisthanthe LDLlevel 14) andaddsprognosticinformationtothat conveyedbytheFraminghamriskscore;however,the associationbetweenCRPlevelsandamarkerofearly atherosclerosis, elevated carotid IMT, is not always consistent. In our study, we found that elevated carotidIMTandelevatedCRPinsubjectswithnormalLDLsharedsomecommondeterminants,suchas age, sex, BMI, serum triglycerides and HDL cholesterollevels.Aftercontrollingthevariableconfounding theelevatedIMT,CRPstillshowedasignificantassociation with elevated IMT.…”

The Relationship between Lectin-Like Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-1 Ligands Containing Apolipoprotein B and the Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Healthy Community Inhabitants: The KOBE Study

“…Because healthy community dwellers rarely visit hospitals to receive health examinations for atherosclerosis, it is difficult to collect data about the parameters related to early-stage atherosclerosis in healthy individuals compared with unhealthy individuals. While health data obtained from work sites could contribute Our previous study 22) based upon the KOBE study showed that the hs-CRP level was positively associated with the CAVI, and the association between LDL-C and the CAVI was weak. These results indicated that the hs-CRP could be a more useful marker for atherosclerosis than LDL-C to detect early atherosclerosis in a healthy population without traditional risk factors for CVD, such as diabetes.…”

“…The KOBE participants had to meet the following criteria: 1) no current medication use for hypertension, diabetes mellitus or dyslipidaemia; and 2) no history of CVD or cancer. The details of the KOBE study were reported elsewhere 22) . Informed consent was obtained from each participant in writing.…”