Abnormal High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein is Associated with an Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Renal Dysfunction among Patients Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Palestine

OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as an inflammatory mediator and its association with renal function and other biochemical markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS We carried out a cross-sectional study at private healthcare center. We included 453 patients (48.6% males and 51.4% females) with type 2 diabetes mellitus. We obtained sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data from patient medical records. We carried out statistical analysis to ascertain associations between parameters. RESULTS The overall risk of cardiovascular disease (hsCRP > 1 mg/L) among the study participants was 27.2%. Age, gender, body mass index, fasting blood glucose and serum creatinine were significantly associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (hsCRP > 1 mg/L) whereas estimated glomerular filtration rate, vitamin B12, calcium, sodium and metformin users were negatively associated with the hsCRP. CONCLUSIONS We found a significant positive association of elevated level of C-reactive protein with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Moreover, additional to increased cardiovascular disease risk, hsCRP also seems to be a major inflammatory risk marker indicating renal function loss.