Recent studies have demonstrated a direct relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Some previous studies demonstrated a link between chronic bacterial infections, a persistent cause of inflammation, and raised concentrations of CRP and inflammatory mediators within conventional normal ranges. The aim of this study was to show the association between serum CRP levels with H. pylori infection and cardiovascular risk factors in apparently healthy Koreans.

We evaluated the relationship of high sensitivity CRP with H. pylori infection and several cardiovascular risk factors, in a cross sectional survey of 8,347, apparently healthy persons. The study was conducted on 4,813 men and 3,534 women aged 20 years and over.

The mean (±SD) age and CRP levels of the population were 47.1 (±11.5) and 1.12 (±1.72) mg/L. The seropositive rate of H. pylori infection in our study was 74%. The distribution of CRP was highly skewed toward a lower level than that of previous studies. There were significant positive associations between CRP levels and age, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B, uric acid, body mass index, waisthip ratio and systolic, and diastolic blood pressures. High density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A were inversely related to CRP level (p<0.0001). The association between CRP and cardiovascular risk factor was more prominent in women. Age, fasting blood sugar, low density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B, uric acid and body mass index were significant independent variable following adjustment for dependent variable. H. pylori infection was not associated with raised concentration of CRP levels.

The CRP levels among the apparently healthy Koreans were relatively lower than among Westerners. CRP levels were correlated with some cardiovascular risk factors, but H. pylori infection was not associated with serum CRP levels. The role of CRP and H. pylori infection in the prediction of cardiovascular disease should be confirmed in prospective cohort studies.