Association between Overweight, Obesity in Relation to Serum Hs-CRP Levels in Adults 20-70 Years

Introduction: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is progressively increasing in general population of India. There is a growing concern for obesity related morbidity and mortality. High sensitivity C-reactive Protein (hs-CRP), is an emerging inflammatory marker and a predictor of diabetes mellitus and ischaemic heart disease. Aim: To study the relationship of hs-CRP with Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), and fasting lipid profiles of obese and overweight normotensive and normoglycaemic subjects. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted on 228 subjects of age between 20-70 years from October 2014 to June 2016. The study included three groups of subjects based on BMI. Descriptive statistics were used for normally distributed variables. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to find out the relationship among hs-CRP levels and different parameters in all groups. Linear regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were done to find out the independent factors affecting hs-CRP and to assess the final predictor of its variability. Results: Out of 228 subjects, 87 (38.15%) had normal BMI, followed by 64 (28%) and 77 (33.78%) subjects were overweight and obese respectively. About 75% of overweight and 93.5% of obese subjects had high levels of hs-CRP respectively. About 68.2% of subjects with impaired blood sugar level had high levels of hs-CRP. Pearson’s correlation coefficient ratio revealed moderate correlation of Total Cholesterol (TC), Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), TC/HDL (Total Cholesterol and High Density Lipoprotein) WHR with hs-CRP, with p-value <0.01. Linear regression analysis of various parameters with hs-CRP showed positive association (p<0.001) except Triglyceride (TGL) and negative association with HDL. FBS, BMI, WC, LDL, TC/HDL were found to be very significantly associated with hs-CRP on multiple regression analysis. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity have significant correlation with hs-CRP, suggesting obesity is a state of chronic inflammation, and hence, hs-CRP levels can be used in assessing future morbidity risk. With an increasing prevalence of obesity in India in recent years, which has a major adverse impact on the socioeconomic and healthcare sectors of the country, hs-CRP can be used to assess the risk of obesity related disorders for an early intervention.