Serum C-reactive protein level and prediabetes in two Asian populations

Abstract

Aims/Hypothesis: Prediabetes, an early stage in the hyperglycaemic continuum, increases the future risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, is associated with diabetes and CVD. However, studies examining the association between CRP and prediabetes among participants without diabetes are limited. Methods: We analysed data from two large population-based studies in Singapore: the Singapore Prospective Study Programme (SP2, n=4,252 Chinese, Malay and Indians aged ≥24 years) and the Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES, n=2,337 Malays aged 40-80 years), participants of which were free of diabetes mellitus. Prediabetes was defined as glycated haemoglobin of 5.7-6.4% in SiMES (n=1,231); fasting plasma glucose of 5.6-6.9 mmol/l in SP2 (n=386). Results: Elevated high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) levels were found to be associated with prediabetes after adjusting for age, sex, race-ethnicity, education, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, BMI and total cholesterol. Comparing those with hsCRP 3 mg/l was 1.31 (0.99-1.74) and 2.17 (1.61-2.92), ptrend