Relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and carotid intima-media thickness in patients with essential hypertension complicated with cerebral infarction

Objective: To investigate the relationship between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CrP) and carotid intima-media thickness(IMT) in patients with essential hypertension(EH) complicated with cerebral infarction. Methods: Twenty five patients with EH complicated with cerebral infarction(ECI group) ，22 patients with EH(EH group) and 20 healthy people(control group) were selected. The levels of serum hs-CrP, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose and carotid IMT in three groups were detected. results: The differences of age, sex, smoking history, levels of triglyceride, low density lipoprotein and fasting blood glucose in three groups had no statistical significance(P ＞ 0. 05) . The levels of hs-CrP and carotid IMT of the ECI group were significantly higher than those in control and EH group(P ＜ 0. 05 to P ＜ 0. 01) , the levels of hs-CrP and carotid IMT of the EH group were significantly higher than those in control group(P ＜ 0. 05 and P ＜ 0. 01) . In EH group, the level of hs-CrP in patients with increasing carotid IMT was significantly higher than that in patients with normal carotid IMT, the level of carotid IMT was positively correlated with hs-CrP (P ＜ 0. 01) . The multiple regression analysis showed that carotid IMT was correlated with age and hs-CrP, the regression equation was Y^IMT = 0. 319 + 0. 064Xhs-CrP + 0. 008Xage . Conclusions: hs-CrP may affect the pathogenesis and development of cerebral infarction in ECI patients by promoting the carotid atherosclerosis.