C reactive protein and its determinants in healthy men and women from European regions at different risk of coronary disease: the IMMIDIET Project

AIM: Differences in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and its determinants in three European populations at different risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) were studied. METHODS: Subjects were recruited randomly in Limburg (Belgium), Abruzzo (Italy) and south-west (SW) London (England). RESULTS: Ten-year risk of fatal coronary events (estimated using risk equations provided by the SCORE Project) was lower both in men and women from Abruzzo, intermediate in people from Limburg and higher in subjects from SW London. Within each country, high sensitivity (hs)-CRP levels were higher in the high-risk class in men but not in women. Men from Abruzzo had higher hs-CRP levels than those from Limburg and SW London. Women always had higher hs-CRP levels than men. The strongest hs-CRP determinant was body mass index (BMI, R(2) = 0.14) in women and waist circumference (WC, R(2) = 0.046) in men. The highest hs-CRP levels were observed in subjects with both high BMI and high WC. Metabolic syndrome was associated with high levels of CRP both in men and women, even after adjustment for confounders. DISCUSSION: Difference in CRP levels cannot explain the European gradient of CVD risk, although CRP levels are associated with the calculated SCORE risk of fatal coronary events within each country.