Abstract
Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels have previously been described before the onset of type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes. We hypothesized that inflammation, as reflected by elevated CRP levels, can help predict development of islet autoimmunity or type 1 diabetes. The outcome of this research is to establish potential determinants of raised CRP concentrations in type 1 diabetic patients. Sensitive assay showed ‘low-level’ CRP concentrations in 147 type 1 patients (83M, 64F, median age 30 years, range 13–67). We have done step by step variant examination to relate these CRP levels to known cardiovascular risk factors and demographic data. Only four patients had established Coronary Heart Disease (median CRP 3.43 mg/l vs. 0.85 mg/l, p=0.035). In subjects without overt CHD, multivariate analysis revealed increase in subject age (p=0.0027), BMI (p=0.001) and HbA1 (p=0.013) to be associated with a higher CRP concentration, as was female sex (p=0.025) and a history of CHD in a first-degree relative (p=0.018, n=58). Elevated CRP levels were positively associated with cardiovascular and renal risk factors: age, body mass index, blood pressure, serum cholesterol level, smoking, plasma glucose level and elevated urinary albumin excretion and presence of hypertension were unrelated. This research work advises that certain of the risk factors connected with CHD in type 1 patients are also individually predictive of high CRP concentrations. The reasons for this, and whether intervention would prove valuable, require further analysis