Clinical Significance of Changes in High Sensitive C-Reactive Protein in Hypertensive Patients with Carotid Atherosclerosis

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of changes in high sensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)in hypertensive patients with carotid atherosclerosis.Methods Color Doppler ultrasound was performed in 117 hypertensive patients.The degree of carotid atherosclerosis and carotid intima-media thickness(IMT)were determined.According to the carotid artery lesion condition,these patients were divided into three groups:normal carotid artery group(n=57),carotid atherosclerosis group(n=38)and carotid artery plaque group(n=22).Serum levels of hs-CRP,total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDLC)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were measured in all patients.Results Compared with normal carotid artery group,levels of TG,TC and LDL-C increased but levels of HDL-C decreased in carotid atherosclerosis group and carotid artery plaque group(P0.05).Compared with carotid atherosclerosis group,levels of TG,TC and LDL-C increased but levels of HDL-C decreased in carotid artery plaque group(P0.05).Serum hs-CRP levels were(1.25±0.43),(1.33±0.47)and(1.87±0.51)mg·L-1in normal carotid artery group,carotid atherosclerosis group and carotid artery plaque group,respectively.Compared with carotid atherosclerosis group,serum hs-CRP levels increased in carotid artery plaque group but decreased in normal carotid artery group(P0.05).Serum hs-CRP was positively correlated with TC,TG and LDL-C(r=0.81,0.65 and 0.67,respectively;P0.05),but negatively correlated with HDL-C(r=-0.66,P0.05).Conclusion Serum hs-CRP,TC,TG and LDL-C are risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis and plaque formation in hypertensive patients.