The relationship between serum C-reactive protein and senile hypertension

BACKGROUND: Hypertension has become an important health risk factor in the twenty-first century, especially for the elderly. Studies have confirmed that inflammation is involved in the development of hypertension and that the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein(CRP) is significantly associated with hypertension. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to explore the CRP correlation with hypertension in the elderly. METHODS: Serum CRP levels were measured in 196 hospitalized patients, and the CRP level was used as a criterion to divide them into the group with elevated CRP (> 10 mmol/L, n = 120) and the group with normal CRP (0 < CRP ≤ 10 mmol/L, n = 76). and the patient's baseline characteristics were collected and compared between the groups, and the correlation between CRP and other factors and hypertension in the elderly was analyzed by multi-factor logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension, coronary artery disease and joint reactive inflammation was significantly higher in the group with elevated CRP. There was also a significant association between the use of alcohol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and steroids and elevated CRP; logistic regression showed that elevated CRP (OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.14–3.99, p = 0.019), body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.10, 95% CI:1.01–1.90, p = 0.030), diabetes (OR = 2.68, 95% CI:1.24–5.79, p = 0.012) were positively associated with hypertension, while statins use was negatively associated with hypertension (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25–0.94, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated CRP, BMI, and diabetes are positively associated with hypertension in the elderly, and early screening for CRP and initiation of treatment may help prevent further inflammatory responses in hypertension.