Association of classical and related inflammatory markers with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in healthy individuals: results from the Stanislas cohort.

Background: Although high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) has emerged as a cardiovascular marker, questions arise regarding the relative information provided by other inflammatory molecules. Therefore, as a first step, we examined interrelationships between serum hs-CRP concentrations and inflammatory, adhesion and growth factors in healthy adults.

Methods: Circulating concentrations of hs-CRP, haptoglobin, orosomucoid, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), TNF-receptor II (TNF-RII), E-, P-, and L-selectins, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, endothelial growth factor (EGF), vascular EGF (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-binding protein (IGFBP-3) were measured in 154 men and 161 women of the Stanislas cohort. Leukocyte and platelet counts were also determined.

Results: Correlations were significant between hs-CRP concentrations and leukocyte and platelet counts, as well as haptoglobin, orosomucoid, IL-6, and ICAM-1 concentrations (p< or =0.001). Correlation coefficients for ICAM-1 were higher in men than in women (p< or =0.05). When stratifying subjects according to hs-CRP levels, the group with high hs-CRP levels had significantly higher haptoglobin and orosomucoid concentrations than the others, in addition to higher leukocyte counts and IL-6 concentrations in women, and platelet counts and ICAM-1 concentrations in men.

Conclusions: Further studies are warranted to explain the association pattern for hs-CRP. Partition of these factors according to their association with hs-CRP concentration opens a new perspective for choice of the best factors in terms of cardiovascular risk in relation to hs-CRP, while non-associated markers could be used to give additional information.