Is There Any Association of Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein with Various Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome in a Healthy Adult Population of Karachi, Pakistan?

Background: The aim of this study was to discover the association of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with various risk factors for metabolic syndrome in an urban population of Karachi, Pakistan. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 337 healthy adults (108 males and 229 females, mean age 40.7 +/- 14.2 years) participated. The subjects were randomly selected in Lyari Town in Karachi using a geographical imaging system (GIS). Their demographic, anthropometric [body mass index (BMI), hip and waist circumferences, waist-to-hip circumference ratio (W-HR), and biochemical (fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, fasting lipid profile, and hsCRP)] parameters were recorded. Insulin resistance was calculated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Correlation of CRP and fasting insulin levels with various parameters of metabolics syndrome were calculated using Pearson correlation. Results: Median CRP levels were found to be higher in females 0.81 (0.20-1.38) compared with males 0.77 (0.19-1.35). Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 108 (31.12%) subjects. No significant difference between CRP levels in the metabolic syndrome-positive and metabolic syndrome-negative groups was observed. Similarly, no correlation was observed between hsCRP and fasting insulin levels, insulin resistance, and other parameters of MS. Conclusion: There is lack of correlation between hsCRP levels and various risk factors for metabolic syndrome in our urban population. Further large-scale prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.