Differential association of C-reactive protein with adiposity in men and women in an Aboriginal community in northeast Arnhem Land of Australia

Objective: To examine the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP), adiposity and other metabolic abnormalities in an Aboriginal community in Northern Australia. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained between 2001 and 2003 from 379 Aboriginal people residing in a geographically isolated community. Results: Mean (95% CI) CRP in women and men was 4.06 cholesterol (3.53, 4.66) mg/l and 3.42 (2.94, 3.97) mg/l, respectively (P=NS). The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (US National Education program (NCEP) definition) was significantly higher for women than men (41 vs 18%, χ ²=20.94, P<0.001). C-reactive protein correlated strongly with adiposity in women (waist circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index; r≥0.514, P<0.01) but much less strongly in men (r≤0.221, P<0.05). In a multivariate stepwise linear regression model, waist circumference was the strongest independent predictor explaining 35% of CRP concentration variance in women, but only 5.4% in men (WHR). Incremental increases in CRP concentration across four BMI categories were significant in women (P _{linear trend}<0.001) but not in men. Conclusions: High CRP levels in the surveyed population are consistent with the high prevalence of vascular disease morbidity and mortality in Aboriginal Australians. The relationship of CRP with increasing body fat was strong and consistent in women but not in men. Prospective studies are needed to elucidate the role of CRP (if any) as a predictive marker for cardiovascular events in this high-risk population.