High-sensitivity C-reactive protein is associated with 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure variability in type 2 diabetes and control subjects

Background and Aim: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has been associated with hypertension (HTN) and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), but the possible implication of blood pressure (BP) variability in increasing hsCRP in T2DM are incompletely understood. We aimed to assess the association between hsCRP and BP variability during 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring in T2DM and healthy control subjects. Material and Method: The cross-sectional study included data from T2DM patients with normal BP (n=9), controlled HTN (n=46), uncontrolled HTN (n=20), and healthy controls (n=11). HsCRP was assessed using ELISA technique. All subjects underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring; BP variability was calculated using standard deviation. Results: We found that hsCRP was associated with daytime and 24-hours systolic and diastolic BP variability. Higher hsCRP were observed in T2DM patients with uncontrolled HTN and high BP variability compared to the other three groups. In multiple regression analysis, hsCRP was predicted by daytime and 24-hour diastolic BP variability. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that high hsCRP was associated with increased ambulatory BP variability in T2DM and control subjects. The contribution of both hsCRP and BP variability to cardiovascular risk stratification in T2DM needs to be evaluated in prospective studies.