C-reactive protein is an independent predictor for carotid artery intima-media thickness progression in asymptomatic younger adults (from the Bogalusa Heart Study)

Table 4 Baseline independent cardiovascular risk correlates of the composite carotid artery IMT progression in young adults

	Univariate Associations (Unadjusted)		Multivariable Model Following Stepwise Selection (Adjusted for Baseline IMT)
Variables	Univariate Correlations	p value	Unstandardized difference*	95% CI	Standardized difference*	p value
Age, years	0.199	< 0.001	0.006	0.004 - 0.008	0.208	< 0.001
Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg	0.165	< 0.001	0.002	0.001 - 0.002	0.171	< 0.001
Fasting glucose, mg/dl	0.129	< 0.001	0.001	0.000 - 0.001	0.126	< 0.01
hsCRP ≥ 2 mg/l	0.110	< 0.001	0.025	0.008 - 0.043	0.103	< 0.01
LDL cholesterol, mg/dl	0.085	< 0.01	0.000	0.000 - 0.001	0.088	< 0.05
Current smoker	0.091	< 0.05	0.021	0.003 - 0.039	0.084	< 0.05
Baseline IMT (microns)	(-0.369)	< 0.001	(-0.296)	(-0.353) - (-0.240)	(-0.405)	< 0.001
Gender (women vs men)	0.035	0.37	0.008	(-0.011) - 0.027	0.032	0.42
Race (black vs white)	(-0.025)	0.51	(-0.01)	(-0.031) - 0.011	-0.038	0.35
Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg	(-0.022)	0.57	0.000	(-0.002) - 0.001	-0.033	0.65
Waist-height ratio	(-0.002)	0.46	0.008	(-0.104) - 0.121	0.006	0.88
HDL cholesterol, mg/dl	0.021	0.6	0.000	(-0.001) - 0.001	0.014	0.72
Fasting triglycerides, mg/dl^†	(-0.021)	0.59	(-0.004)	(-0.022) - 0.014	(-0.019)	0.65

Baseline adjusted stepwise linear regression model included age, gender, race, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, waist-height ratio, fasting glucose, serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting triglycerides^†, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ≥ 2 mg/l and smoking status.
*Unstandardized and standardized differences in mean composite carotid artery IMT progression.
^† Log transformed value was used in the model.

ISSN: 1471-2261