C-reactive protein and insulin resistance in non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and insulin resistance in non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. A total of 135 non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients (96 men and 39 women, aged 36 to 83 years, with a body mass index [BMI] of 16.2 to 26.8 kg/m2) were studied. BMI, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA 1c), fasting concentrations of plasma glucose, serum lipids (triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, and total cholesterol), CRP, and fibrinogen were measured. LDL cholesterol was calculated using the Friedewald formula. Insulin resistance was estimated by the insulin resistance index of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Univariate regression analysis showed that CRP value was positively correlated to age ( r = 0.218, P = .012), BMI ( r = 0.239, P = .006), HOMA-IR ( r = 0.397, P [lt ] .0001), triglycerides ( r= 0.310, P [lt ] .005), LDL cholesterol ( r= 0.179, P = .038), and fibrinogen ( r = 0.371, P [lt ] .0001) levels and inversely correlated to HDL cholesterol ( r = 0.174, P = .044) level in our diabetic patients. Multiple regression analysis showed that CRP was independently predicted by HOMA-IR ( P[lt ] .0001, F = 11.6) and fibrinogen ( P[lt ] .0001, F = 34.2), which explained 23.5% of the variability of CRP in our non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients. These results indicate that insulin resistance and fibrinogen level are independent predictors of CRP in non-obese Japanese type 2 diabetic patients.