This study investigated whether high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels are independently associated with subclinical peripheral atherosclerosis.
Methods.
Clinical variables, cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, 10-year CV risk, the antebrachial Index (ABI), and the carotid intima—media thickness (cIMT) were determined in a sample of consecutive subjects free from previous CV disease, admitted for a first visit at a lipid clinic.
Results.
In the overall sample (320 subjects, mean age 63 years, 35.8% men), hs-CRP levels were associated with major CV risk factors, 10-year CV risk, lower ABI, and higher cIMT values. In a logistic model, after adjustment for significant covariates, the associations of hs-CRP levels with ABI and cIMT were no longer statistically significant.
Conclusions.
Among asymptomatic, moderate- to-high CV risk subjects, hs-CRP levels were associated with severity of peripheral atherosclerosis, but these associations were not independent of traditional CV risk factors, suggesting a limited predictive role of hs-CRP for subclinical atherosclerosis.
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