Levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in young and middle-aged working men

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in the working age population. In recent decades, more and more attention has been attracted to a subacute chronic inflammatory process as the cause of the progression of atherosclerosis and the development of atherothrombosis. A high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is recognized as an independent marker of cardiovascular disease risk, comparable in value to cholesterol or blood pressure. Aim. Measurement of hs-CRP levels in the group of initially healthy young and middle-aged working men. Materials and methods. The study included 349 men aged 28 to 56 years, who undergo periodic medical examination at the Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Center of “Gazprom transgaz Moscow” OOO from November 2018 to February 2020.The examination was carried out according to an employee occupation by order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia No. 302n. dated 12.04.2011. Additionally, a blood test for hs-CRP was performed. Results. An increase in hs-CRP >2 mg/L was found in 26.7% of the men examined. In the majority of cases (89.2%), the increase in CRP ranged between 2 and 5 mg/L, in 7.5% of cases - between 5 and 10 mg/L, and only in 3,2% it exceeded 10 mg/L. All patients with elevated hs-CRP levels showed no signs of an acute inflammatory reaction. A direct correlation of hs-CRP levels with overweight and abdominal obesity, which increases with age, was revealed. In 151 men, hs-CRP levels were assessed in dynamics, of which baseline increase of >2 mg / l was noted in 28.5%, and after a year -in 23.2%. When assessing the absolute value of biomarker concentration, an increase in this indicator after a year was registered in 45.3% of men. Conclusion. The high incidence of increased baseline hs-CRP levels in the group of relatively healthy young and middle-aged working men, and the tendency for this indicator to increase after a year in 45.3% of men makes it appropriate to include routine measurement of the basal hs-CRP concentration in men over 40 years of age in screening programs and standards of medical examinations.

high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases