OS 14-06 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN C-REACTIVE PROTEIN LEVEL AND RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY IN 2051 66 KOREANS.

OBJECTIVE: C-reactive protein (CRP) is a widely used inflammatory biomarker. Inflammatory process is an important part of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CRP is a useful biomarker to assess CVD risk and hypertension is a well established risk factor of CVD. This study aimed to evaluate the interrelation of CRP level, hypertension and risk of CVD and all-cause mortality in large population of Koreans.

DESIGN AND METHOD: We analyzed data of health screening programme. Date included 205166 Koreans and median follow-up was 4.61 years. 1130 Deaths occurred during this period. Population was classified into four groups, no hypertension/CRP < 1.0 (reference group), hypertension/CRP < 1.0, no hypertension/CPR ≥ 1.0 and hypertension/CRP ≥ 1.0.

RESULTS: Hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality were 1.16 in hypertension/CRP < 1.0 group when initially adjusted for age-sex only and 1.34 when adjusted further for conventional risk factors; 1.72 and 1.62 in no hypertension/CRP ≥ 1.0 group; 1.70 and 1.66 in hypertension/CRP ≥ 1.0 group. HRs for CVD mortality were 2.07 and 2.37 in hypertension/CRP < 1.0 group; 1.86 and 1.95 in no hypertension/CRP ≥ 1.0 group; 2.90 and 2.65 in hypertension/CRP ≥ 1.0 group.

CONCLUSIONS: CRP level has relevance to all-cause mortality as well as CVD mortality with or without hypertension. Population with Higher CRP level and hypertension was associated with increased risk of CVD mortality and all-cause mortality (about twice higher risk compared with group of lower CRP level and no hypertension). This finding may suggest that CRP level combined with hypertension can be used as a potent biomarker in classification of CVD mortality risk and all-cause mortality risk.