Reference Value for C-Reactive Protein and Its Distribution Pattern in Thai Adults

Abstract

-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase constituent that has been measured for more than 70 years in the diagnosis and monitoring of active infection and inflammation 1 because it is one of the most fundamental and earliest host responses to inflammatory injury. It is mainly regulated by the CRP gene, located on the long arm of chromosome 1, induced at the transcriptional level by interleukin-6 (IL-6), and its major synthetic site is the heptocyte. 2,3 In fact, it is released into the circulation with equal distribution in the vascular compartment without substantial tissue sequestration at the site of inflammation. However, the clinical importance of CRP has been limited for many decades because of its large intra-individual variation and methods of measurement that were not thoroughly sensitive and accurate. Now, a method of detecting highsensitive CRP (hs-CRP) is available 4 and many study results demonstrate its greater value, especially as a potential risk marker for cardiac diseases. 5-9 However, as stated before, there is a large intra-individual variation and thus a need for regional studies of CRP. 10 Several factors influence the concentration of CRP: [11][12][13][14] (1) different ethnology, (2) different types of specimens (eg, clotted sample, citrated sample etc) and (3) different physical factors and lifestyle (eg, diet, exercise, stress, hygiene, and environment). Hence, the reference value and distribution pattern of hs-CRP are needed as the basic background knowledge for further studies in each region of the world. For this reason, Circulation Journal Vol.69, March 2005the authors designed the present study to determine a reference value of hs-CRP in a healthy Thai population, and to examine the effect of time, gender and age. Methods PopulationThis investigation was a multicenter study formed by the collaboration of 4 centers with the aim of covering all the regions (center, north, south, and northeast) of Thailand. The 4 centers were (1) the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalonkorn University, located in the center of Thailand, (2) the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, located in the north, (3) the Department of Pathology, Maharaj Nakhonsithammarat Hospital, located in the south, and (4) the Department of Clinical Pathology, Maharaj Nakornrajsima Hospital, located in the northeast. The study protocol complied with the requirements of the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and was agreed to by all collaborating centers. The volunteers from each center were randomized from private and governmental employees who attended the annual check-up program during July 2003 to June 2004. They were given a physical examination by a doctor and underwent laboratory screening. Any individuals with abnormal vital signs or abnormal blood pressure were excluded from this study, as were those with a history of chest pain or antihypertensive medication. Only subjects with a n...

Population distribution of high sensitivity C-reactive protein values in Aboriginal Australians: A comparison with other populations

“…Fig. 2 shows the median concentrations of all CRP values from study participants and those study participants who had CRP< 10 mg/L in comparison with the published data from countries such as Germany [18], Japan [19], Thailand [20], UK [18] and USA [21,22]. The median CRP values in Aboriginal Australians were substantially higher than those in other populations reported in the literature.…”

“…On the contrary, in a study in the Japanese population, CRP levels are significantly higher among men than among women [19,25]. No gender differences were found in several other populations [18,20,[26][27][28][29]. The causes of higher CRP levels in Aboriginal women remain to be determined.…”

“…Efforts have been made to describe CRP changing patterns with age in other populations [18][19][20]22,29], but few studies have examined both children and adults in the same population. The pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease often starts in childhood.…”

“…*Data from other populations derived from the following references: Japan [19], Germany [18], UK [18], Thailand [20], USA children and USA adults [21,22]. Data from Thailand and USA are for both sexes combined.…”

Association of acylated ghrelin profiles with chronic inflammatory markers in overweight and obese postmenopausal women: a MONET study

“…However, these relationships were never evaluated in a model of obesity. Previous investigations have indicated that fasting levels of CRP, TNF-a, and sTNF-R1 are not significantly modulated during the EHC (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31). Therefore, in the present study, CRP, TNF-a, and sTNF-R1 concentrations were only evaluated in a fasted state.…”