C-reactive protein in traditional melanesians on Kitava

• Published in: BMC cardiovascular disorders 2020-12, Vol.20 (1), p.524-524, Article 524
• Main Authors: Carrera-Bastos, Pedro, Fontes-Villalba, Maelán, Gurven, Michael, Muskiet, Frits A J, Åkerfeldt, Torbjörn, Lindblad, Ulf, Råstam, Lennart, Frostegård, Johan, Shapira, Yinon, Shoenfeld, Yehuda, Granfeldt, Yvonne, Sundquist, Kristina, Jönsson, Tommy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antibodies; Biomarkers - blood; Blood pressure; Body mass index; C-reactive protein; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular risk; Case-Control Studies; Cholesterol; Chronic Disease; Clinical Medicine; Comparative analysis; Demographic aspects; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Down-Regulation; Female; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi; Health aspects; Health Sciences; High density lipoprotein; Hip; Horticulture; Humans; Hypertension; Hälsovetenskap; Inflammation; Inflammation - blood; Inflammation - diagnosis; Inflammation Mediators - blood; Insulin; Kardiologi; Klinisk medicin; Laboratories; Low density lipoprotein; Male; Measurement; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Melanesians; Metabolic syndrome; Middle Aged; Occupations; Papua New Guinea; Population; Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology; Risk factors; Swedes; Traditional melanesians; Values
• ISSN: 1471-2261; 1471-2261
• DOI: 10.1186/s12872-020-01812-7

Population-based levels of the chronic low-grade systemic inflammation biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP), vary widely among traditional populations, despite their apparent absence of chronic conditions associated with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. We have previously reported an apparent absence of aforementioned conditions amongst the traditional Melanesian horticulturalists of Kitava, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea. Our objective in this study was to clarify associations between chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and chronic cardiometabolic conditions by measuring CRP in a Kitava population sample. For comparison purposes, CRP was also measured in Swedish controls matched for age and gender. Fasting levels of serum CRP were measured cross-sectionally in ≥ 40-year-old Kitavans (N = 79) and Swedish controls (N = 83). CRP was lower for Kitavans compared to Swedish controls (Mdn 0.5 mg/L range 0.1-48 mg/L and Mdn 1.1 mg/L range 0.1-33 mg/L, respectively, r = .18 p = .02). Among Kitavans, there were small negative associations between lnCRP for CRP values