The Correlation between High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) Serum Levels and Severity of Coronary Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND Considering the increasing incidence of coronary artery stenosis as well as its related complications, the importance of its etiology, and inconsistent reports, we aimed to determine the relationship between High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) serum levels and severity of coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on the patients who referred to Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran and met the inclusion criteria in 2011. Regarding the severity of the disease, the angiographic findings were categorized to mild (< 10), moderate (10 - 50), and severe (> 50) using the Gensini score classification. 1 mL blood sample was taken from each patient and transferred to the laboratory after clotting. After centrifugation, the serum hsCRP level was measured and classified in 3 levels of 1, 1 to 3, and more than 3 mg / L. The relationship between hsCRP serum levels and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis was analyzed using Chi-square test (N = 85, P value < 0.010). RESULTS This study was performed on 85 patients with the mean age of 55.7 ± 7.06 years. Besides, 64.7% of the participants were male. According to the results, 34.1%, 37.7%, and 28.2% of the patients experienced mild, moderate, and severe disease intensity, respectively. Moreover, the serum hsCRP levels were < 1, between1 and 3, and > 3 mg / L in 28.2%, 27.1%, and 44.7% of the patients, respectively. The hsCRP serum levels were significantly higher in the patients with moderate and severe artery stenosis compared to those with mild stenosis (P < 0.010). CONCLUSIONS The hsCRP serum levels were significantly related to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.