Elevated High-Sensitive C-Reactive Protein Associates with Early-Stage Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with Type II Diabetes

Objective: To evaluate whether low-grade inflammation contributes to early-stage advanced carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type II diabetes.Research Design and Methods: The mean and maximum (max) intima-media thicknesses (IMT) of the carotid artery were assessed using ultrasound B-mode imaging in 75 patients with type II diabetes (32 men and 43 women, aged 52.1±3.6 years (±SD), duration of diabetes 9.2±3.7 years) and 75 age-matched healthy nondiabetic subjects (28 men and 47 women). High-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were measured with a latex-enhanced immunonephelometer.Results: Patients with type II diabetes had significantly higher hs-CRP levels (median 0.35, range 0.05-1.47mg/l vs. median 0.14, range 0.05-1.44mg/l; p=0.001) as well as significantly higher mean IMT and max IMT than the nondiabetic subjects (mean IMT 0.76±0 09 vs 0 72±0 04mm p - 0.003; max IMT 0.84±0.11 vs. 0.77±0.06mm, p 0.0001). Hs-CRP levels were significantly correlated with the mean and max IMT of patients with type II diabetes and with the max IMT of nondiabetic subjects. Multivariate regression analyses for both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects as a single group showed that hs-CRP levels are independently correlated with the mean IMT and max IMT levels (p=0.002 and p=0.023, respectively) as well as with diastolic blood pressure, sex and duration of diabetes.Conclusions: Our data indicate that hs-CRP levels are elevated in patients with type II diabetes possibly corresponding with early-stage advanced carotid atherosclerosis.