Combined Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Predict Mortality Rates in the General Population　― Evidence From a Community-Based Cohort in Japan ―

BACKGROUND: Because monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are crucial biomarkers in the early stages of atherosclerosis, we examined the association of their serum levels with all-cause and cause-specific deaths in a healthy population. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2007, 568 participants (64% women, mean age 64.4 years) underwent health check-ups from which their serum MCP-1 and hs-CRP levels were categorized as high or low based on the median values of each biomarker. We analyzed all-cause deaths using Kaplan-Meier curves and used a multivariable Cox regression model to calculate hazard ratios for all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer deaths both individually and in combination. During a median follow-up of 17.9 years, 140 deaths occurred: 43 from CVD and stroke, and 33 from cancer. The cumulative all-cause mortality rate was higher in participants with both high serum MCP-1 and hs-CRP levels than in those with lower levels. The adjusted hazard ratios for combined high serum MCP-1 and hs-CRP levels vs. low levels were 1.86 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-3.17) for all-cause, 3.24 (95% CI: 1.07-9.82) for CVD and stroke, and 3.28 (95% CI: 1.06-10.18) for cancer deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Combined serum MCP-1 and hs-CRP levels could predict all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates in the general population.