Level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in Saudi patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND Inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events and it predicts risk of incident hypertension and diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of the circulating acute-phase reactant high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in Saudi patients with chronic stable Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). METHODS This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology and Department of Cardiology, College of Medicine and King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh between August 2006 and December 2007. One hundred and seven individuals with chronic stable CAD and 33 healthy, age and BMI-matched individuals were studied. Overnight fasting blood samples were collected, and analyzed for total cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and hsCRP in patients with chronic stable CAD. RESULTS TC (Control 4.41 +/- 0.57 vs CAD 4.28 +/- 1.40, p = 0.8394) and LDL levels (Control 2.70 +/- 0.52 vs CAD 2.71 +/- 1.20, p = 0.7963) did not differ significantly between the two groups. While there were significant differences in TG (Control 1.13 +/- 0.47 vs CAD 1.84 +/- 1.10, p = 0.0135) and HDL levels (Control 1.06 +/- 0.30 vs CAD 0.71 +/- 0.25, p = 0.0000). hsCRP levels were significantly higher in patients with CAD (5.0 +/- 4.4) compared to healthy individuals (2.7 +/- 2.7, p = 0.0166). Frequency of low risk levels was significantly higher in Controls than CAD patients (24.2% vs 8.4%, p = 0.0332) and vice versa for high risk levels (24.2% vs 51.4%, p = 0.0110). At average risk levels frequency did not differ significantly (51.5% vs 40.1%, p = 0.3429) between control and CAD groups. CONCLUSION Saudi patients with stable chronic CAD have higher hsCRP levels compared to healthy individuals. Moreover the prevalence of undesirable risk levels of hsCRP is also higher in CAD patients.