Are C-reactive protein and homocysteine cardiovascular risk factors in obese children and adolescents?

Background: Several prospective epidemiological studies have demonstrated that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and plasma homocysteine (hcy) are predictors of future coronary events among healthy men and women. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate a possible relationship between hsCRP, hcy levels and body mass index (BMI), relative weight (RW), serum leptin levels, and cardiovascular risk factors in obese children and adolescents.

Methods: The study involved 28 obese children and adolescents (13 girls, 15 boys; BMI>95 per thousand for age and sex), 4.5-15 years of age (mean 10.7 +/- 0.6 years), who attended hospital for a basic obesity check-up. The association between hsCRP, hcy levels and BMI, RW, serum leptin levels, and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure (BP), lipid profile, serum fasting insulin levels, and insulin resistance indexes, was investigated.

Results: Serum hsCRP level was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.512, P < 0.01), RW (r = 0.438, P < 0.05), systolic and diastolic BP (r = 0.498, P < 0.01), serum leptin levels (r = 0.457, P < 0.05), but not with serum lipid, glucose, fasting insulin, plasma hcy levels or insulin resistance indexes. For hcy level, in contrast, no correlation was found with BMI, RW, systolic and diastolic BP, serum lipid levels, leptin, hsCRP, glucose, fasting insulin levels, or insulin resistance indexes.

Conclusions: hsCRP is correlated with BMI, RW, BP and leptin, which are risk factors for coronary heart disease, which supports the relationship between obesity, inflammation and atherosclerosis. hsCRP in childhood obesity might be a useful index to predict possible atherosclerotic events.