Clinical characteristics of study patients
| Increased CRP (n = 15) | Normal CRP (n = 31) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data are mean (SEM) unless otherwise indicated. | |||
| *Taking antihypertensive treatment or having blood pressure 140/90 mm Hg; †taking cholesterol lowering treatment or having total cholesterol 6.21 mmol/l. | |||
| CRP, C reactive protein; HDL, high density lipoprotein; LDL, low density lipoprotein; NS, not significant. | |||
| Age (years) | 61 (3) | 59 (2) | NS |
| Men/women | 8/7 | 22/9 | NS |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 24.8 (0.8) | 24.6 (0.6) | NS |
| Coronary risk factors | |||
| Smoking | 5 (33%) | 8 (26%) | NS |
| Hypertension* | 5 (33%) | 15 (48%) | NS |
| Hypercholesterolaemia† | 8 (53%) | 10 (32%) | NS |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 5.86 (0.22) | 5.11 (0.15) | 0.0079 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 1.85 (0.19) | 1.52 (0.13) | NS |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.27 (0.10) | 1.49 (0.07) | 0.0848 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3.74 (0.21) | 2.92 (0.14) | 0.0024 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 2 (13%) | 4 (13%) | NS |
| Serum glucose (mmol/l) | 5.43 (0.28) | 5.65 (0.20) | NS |
| Medications | |||
| Aspirin | 7 (43%) | 13 (42%) | NS |
| Statin | 3 (20%) | 5 (16%) | NS |
| High sensitive CRP (mg/l) | 5.05 (0.33) | 0.34 (0.23) | <0.0001 |