C-Reactive protein in adults with chronic spinal cord injury: increased chronic inflammation in tetraplegia vs paraplegia

• Published in: Spinal cord 2008-09, Vol.46 (9), p.616-621
• Main Authors: Gibson, A E, Buchholz, A C, Martin Ginis, K A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Anatomy; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - analysis; Biomarkers - blood; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Body Mass Index; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; C-Reactive Protein - metabolism; Cardiovascular Diseases - blood; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Chronic Disease; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Human Physiology; Humans; Inflammation - blood; Inflammation - epidemiology; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic Syndrome - blood; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Mobility Limitation; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurochemistry; Neurology; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; Ontario - epidemiology; original-article; Paraplegia - blood; Paraplegia - epidemiology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Quadriplegia - blood; Quadriplegia - epidemiology; Risk Factors; Spinal Cord Injuries - blood; Spinal Cord Injuries - epidemiology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sc.2008.32

Study design: Cross-sectional. Objectives: In community-dwelling adults with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), to (1) quantify C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk; (2) determine factors associated with CRP. Setting: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Methods: We examined CVD risk factors in 69 participants. Measurements included length, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, percent fat mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis) and fasting blood parameters (high-sensitivity CRP, lipids, insulin, glucose, insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)). Results: Mean CRP of the group was 3.37±2.86 mg−l −1 , consistent with the American Heart Association (AHA) definition of high risk of CVD. CRP was 74% higher in persons with tetraplegia (4.31±2.97) than those with paraplegia (2.47±2.47 mg l −1 , P =0.002), consistent with high CVD risk. Participants with high CRP (3.1–9.9 mg l −1 ) had greater waist circumference, BMI, percent fat mass and HOMA values than those with lower CRP (⩽3.0 mg l −1 , all P