Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care
Associations of hsCRP, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters with cardiovascular risk in menopause status: a cross-sectional study
2025
Aims: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases significantly after menopause, partly due to hormonal changes leading to abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, and low-grade inflammation. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is a well-established biomarker of subclinical inflammation, yet its associations with anthropometric and biochemical parameters in menopausal women remain incompletely defined. To evaluate cardiovascular risk across hsCRP-based subgroups in menopausal women and identify the key anthropometric and biochemical predictors of subclinical inflammation. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 117 women without established CVD. Participants were classified into three groups according to hsCRP levels: low (3 mg/L). Clinical and biochemical parameters, including BMI, waist circumference, lipid profile, liver enzymes (ALT, AST, GGT), uric acid, glucose, and HbA1c, were compared across subgroups. Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify determinants of hsCRP concentration. Results: Women with higher hsCRP levels exhibited significantly greater waist circumference and BMI, with abdominal obesity showing the strongest association with inflammation. GGT activity was significantly higher in moderate and high-risk groups, while uric acid concentrations tended to increase with hsCRP, approaching the upper reference limit in the high-risk group. Lipid profile analysis revealed lower HDL, higher triglycerides, elevated TG/HDL ratios, and increased non-HDL cholesterol in women with high hsCRP levels. Multiple regression analysis identified waist circumference, age, and LDL-cholesterol as independent predictors of hsCRP in postmenopausal women (adjusted R²=0.252). Conclusion: Waist circumference showed the strongest association with hsCRP among postmenopausal women. The combination of central obesity, hepatic enzyme activity, and lipid alterations reflects the multidimensional nature of cardiovascular risk in this population. Routine measurement of waist circumference and inflammatory biomarkers such as hsCRP could enhance early detection of cardiovascular risk, supporting targeted prevention strategies in postmenopausal women.
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