Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation is considered to be involved in the development of CVD. It is important to find a simple test that enables the identification of patients at risk and that may be used in primary care. The aim of this study is to investigate the associations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with selected factors-age, gender, obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, hyperuricemia, vitamin D-25(OH)D, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertension. RESULTS: Statistically significant correlations were found between hsCRP and the following: age (rs = 0.304, p = 0.0000); gender (female) (p = 0.0173); BMI (rs = 0.295, p = 0.0001); waist circumference (rs = 0.250, p = 0.0007); dyslipidemia (p = 0.0159); glycemia (rs = 0.173, p = 0.0207); and significant negative correlations between hsCRP and 25(OH)D (rs = -0.203, p = 0.0065). In patients with CVD, hypertension, diabetes, or visceral obesity, hsCRP was significantly higher than in the subgroup without these disorders. There was a statistically significant relationship between hsCRP and the number of the metabolic syndrome elements (p = 0.0053). CONCLUSIONS: The hsCRP test seem to be a simple test that may be used at the primary care level to identify patients at risk of metabolic disorders, CVD, and hypertension. Vitamin D concentration may be a determining factor of systemic inflammation (it may have a modulating effect).