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Background: The presence of echolucent artery plaques is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events as compared to echogenic plaques. Whether inflammatory markers are associated with carotid plaque morphology is questioned., Methods: 5,341 individuals were examined with ultrasonography of the right carotid artery. Of these, 3,205 had carotid plaque(s), in whom plaque area (mm(2)) and plaque echogenicity, expressed as the computer-assisted gray scale median (GSM), were determined. White blood cell count (WBC), fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) were analyzed, as well as other cardiovascular risk factors. In multiple linear and logistic regression models, we determined the relationship between plaque area and echogenicity, and inflammatory markers., Results: Women and men with carotid plaque(s) had significantly elevated levels of WBC and fibrinogen, but not CRP, as compared to subjects without plaques. All inflammatory markers were significantly associated with plaque area in men. WBC was significantly associated with plaque echogenicity in women, whereas no association was found between fibrinogen and CRP and plaque echogenicity in either gender., Conclusions: This cross-sectional study showed sex-dependent differences in associations between measures of carotid atherosclerosis and inflammatory markers. CRP did not discriminate echolucent from echogenic carotid plaques in either gender. Our data highlight the importance of sex-specific analyses in future studies., (Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Bronchial airflow limitation is a known predictor of raised C-reactive protein (CRP) level. The aim of this study was to explore this association in an elderly population, as well as the influence of other known and possible predictors of the CRP level, like smoking and the use of statins and inhaled corticosteroids., Population and Methods: The study population consists of 3877 Norwegians aged 60 years or more who took part in the fifth Tromsø study in 2001, a cross-sectional study. The examinations included questionnaires, spirometry and the measurement of CRP., Results: A geometric mean CRP value of 3.15 mg/L was found in subjects with severe airflow limitation (FEV(1)%<50 predicted and FEV(1)/FVC<70%), compared to 1.64 mg/L in subjects with normal spirometry, (p<0.001), and 19% of the subjects with severe airflow limitation had a CRP value above 10 mg/L compared to 4.9% in those with mild airflow limitation or normal spirometry. Elevated body mass index (BMI), smoking, hormone replacement therapy, and increasing age, were also strong independent predictors of increased CRP. Statin use was a strong predictor of decreased CRP level, while the use of inhaled corticosteroids was not associated with decreased CRP values., Conclusion: We found a strong link between bronchial airflow limitation and the circulating CRP level in an elderly population, independent of self-reported diseases, medication, smoking, and elevated BMI. The CRP value increased with increasing age in men, but not in women, which may be partly explained by a greater impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) morbidity on the CRP level in men than in women. Measuring CRP may show to be a useful part of the diagnostic work-up in COPD patients.