Association between inflammatory markers and clinical and metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

The inflammatory reaction plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. The clinical significance of the main inflammatory markers - C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1), etc. - has not been fully established. CRP, IL6, TNF-α, and PAI1 were assessed in 100 patients in terms of certain clinical indicators (sex, obesity indicators, blood pressure, and heart rate), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), adiponectin, and leptin levels. CRP and PAI1 levels were elevated in subjects with increased body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. CRP correlated positively with indicators of carbohydrate metabolism and negatively with TC, HDL-C, and adiponectin. PAI1 correlated positively with insulin levels, HOMA-IR, leptin, and TG, but negatively with HDL-C. IL6 correlated negatively with TC, but TNF-α correlated negatively with HDL-C. Both IL6 and TNF-α correlated positively with leptin levels. TNF-α correlated with TG levels and the indicators of carbohydrate metabolism only in women. CRP and PAI1 are the most sensitive inflammatory markers; their levels were higher in adipose subjects.