Population distribution of high sensitivity C-reactive protein values in Aboriginal Australians: A comparison with other populations

Objectives: To examine the distribution of C-reactive protein (CRP) values in Aboriginal Australians and its relation to age and gender. Methods: High sensitivity CRP levels were measured in 954 Aboriginal participants aged 5–74 years. Fractional polynomial regressions were used to explore the relationship between CRP and age. Results: CRP values changed with age and reached its lowest level around 10 years and then increased with age. Geometric means of CRP were 7.3 (95% confidence interval (CI): 6.6, 8.1) and 4.1 (95% CI: 3.7, 4.6) for female and male adults, respectively. Adjusting for age, the ratio of female to male CRP concentrations was 1.67 (95% CI: 1.45, 1.99) for adults, and 1.09 (95% CI: 0.84, 1.42) for children 5 to 19 years. Conclusions: CRP changes with age. Females have higher CRP values than males. CRP values in Aboriginal people are substantially higher than other populations.