ESPE Abstracts

Purpose: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a state of chronic inflammation, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) indicates inflammation. This paper evaluates the association between hsCRP and MetS and its components in Korean children and adolescents.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 1,247 subjects (633 males, 14.2 ± 2.7 years) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2017. This study defined MetS and its components using the modified National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria.

Results: The mean hsCRP level was 0.86 ± 1.57 mg/dL (median and interquartile range: 0.37 and 0.43 mg/dL). Subjects with MetS had higher hsCRP levels than subjects without MetS (geometric mean: 1.08 vs. 0.46 mg/dl, P<0.001). With the higher quartile value of hsCRP, the prevalence of MetS increased. Compared to the lowest quartile, the odds ratio (ORs) for having MetS in the highest quartile was 7.34 (3.07-17.55), adjusting for age and sex. In the top quartile of hsCRP, the risk of having abdominal obesity and low HDL was high after adjusting for age, sex, and other components of the MetS. Additionally, the ORs for having prediabetes (HbA1c ≥5.7%) in the highest quartile was 2.70.

Conclusions: Serum hsCRP level is positively associated with MetS and prediabetes even using NCEP-ATP III criteria. Among the MetS components, abdominal obesity and low HDL were highly correlated with hsCRP in Korean children and adolescents.