Does high-sensitivity c-reactive protein or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol show a stronger relationship with the cardio-ankle vascular index in healthy community dwellers?: the KOBE study

Aim: high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-crp) identifies individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease (cvd) without an increased level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ldl-c). the present study was performed to compare hs-crp and ldl-c in association with the cardio-ankle vascular index (cavi) in japanese community dwellers considered to be at low risk for atherosclerosis from their level of traditional cvd risk factors. methods: a community-based study involving 386 healthy japanese (261 men and 125 women) without a history of cvd and medications for hypertension,diabetes,and dyslipidemia was performed. multiple adjustments were performed with linear regression models to estimate the association between cavi and hs-crp or ldl-c levels. the participants were divided into four groups on the basis of whether they were above or below the median hs-crp and ldl-c values,and cavi was compared among the four groups by analysis of covariance after adjusting for confounders. results: in multiple linear regression models,hs-crp showed a significant positive association with cavi; however,no clear association was observed between cavi and ldl-c. these results were similar in the analyses among the participants with ldl-c <140 mg/dl or hs-crp <1.0 mg/l. cavi was higher in the groups with high hs-crp than in those with low hs-crp,irrespective of ldl-c; however,cavi was highest in the group with high ldl-c and high hs-crp. conclusions: the present study suggests that hs-crp could be a better risk factor assessor for atherosclerosis than ldl-c in individuals considered to be at low risk for atherosclerosis assessed by their traditional cvd risk factors.