C-reactive protein in patients with chronic stable angina: differences in baseline serum concentration between women and men.

AIMS Serum C-reactive protein has prognostic significance in apparently healthy men and women and in men with coronary artery disease. Little is known regarding the predictive role of C-reactive protein in women with coronary heart disease. We assessed whether differences exist in C-reactive protein levels and their prognostic value in men compared with women. We also assessed whether C-reactive protein concentrations differed in women receiving hormone replacement therapy vs those on no hormone replacement therapy. METHODS AND RESULTS We prospectively studied 911 consecutive patients (327 women) with typical exertional angina. All patients underwent clinical, biochemical and angiographic characterization at study entry. Serum C-reactive protein was measured using a highly sensitive assay and correlated with clinical events during follow-up (from 1.0 to 3.7 years). C-reactive protein was significantly higher in women than men (3.0 mg. l(-1)[range 1.3-5.8] vs 2.1 mg. l(-1)[range 1.0-4.2], P<0.001), even after multiple regression adjustment for other risk factors. C-reactive protein was also significantly higher in women receiving hormone replacement therapy than in women not using hormone replacement therapy (P=0.001). C-reactive protein was an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk (logistic regression P=0.033) in the whole group but, despite higher C-reactive protein concentration, women had a similar rate of cardiac events compared to men. CONCLUSIONS Baseline C-reactive protein levels were higher in women than men but the event rate was similar in men and women. Women on hormone replacement therapy had significantly higher C-reactive protein than women not using hormone replacement therapy. In the group as a whole, increased C-reactive protein was associated with a higher cardiovascular risk.