High-sensitivity C-reactive protein as a potential marker for hypertension

Abstract

Background Hypertension is a common, asymptomatic, readily detectable, and usually easily treatable disease that leads to lethal complications if left untreated. Hypertension results from the net effect of environmental and genetic factors. These factors include excess dietary salt or alcohol intake, stress, age, genetics, physical inactivity, diet rich in saturated fats, and family history. Evidences indicate that vascular inflammation may be involved in both the initiation and development of hypertension. C-reactive protein is a plasma protein present in trace amounts in healthy patients the concentration of which increases in response to injury, infection or inflammation. Aim The aim of this article is to evaluate the relationship between serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels and various stages of hypertension including prehypertension in the Egyptian people. Patients and methods This study included 130 patients with hypertension recruited from the cardiology outpatient clinic of the Assiut University Hospital in addition to 50 apparently healthy controls, in the period from September 2014 to April 2016. The patients were classified according to their levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure into pre-hypertensive group and stages I, II, III hypertensive patients. They were classified according to the duration of hypertension into less than 1-year duration, between 1 and 5 years and more than 5 years. In addition, the patients were classified into two groups according to weather taking treatment or not. hs-CRP assay using the BT-1500 system based on turbidimetric measurement has been performed. Results The hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in prehypertensive, stages I, II, and III patients compared with controls. In addition, there was significant elevation when comparing prehypertension with both stages II and III; significant increase when comparing stages I with stages II and III and significant increase when comparing stages II with III. Conclusion Increased serum hs-CRP levels are associated with hypertension, especially in the early stages of the disease.

Keywords

• c-reactive protein
• hypertension
• pre-hypertension