Association Between Elevated Levels of C-reactive Proteinand Cardiovascular Disease in U.S. Adult Women: Analysis of Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2003-2008

Elevated serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are known to increase risk of cardiovascular diseases. Overweight/obesity, elevated serum cholesterol, physical inactivity, and reproductive health are also known to increase risk of cardiovascular diseases. This study quantitatively examined how elevated serum CRP levels independently and additively increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases in women aged 20 years and older in the U.S. population. The conceptual model of cardiovascular diseases guided the study. A secondary analysis of data collected from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2008 was used to evaluate these hypotheses. Data were available from 8,240 women. Multiple regression analyses showed that elevated serum CRP levels independently and additively predict cardiovascular diseases in this population. For this population, physical inactivity did not show a significant regression of cardiovascular diseases in women when controlled and/or analyzed additively with elevated serum CRP levels. Elevated serum CRP levels can independently predict cardiovascular diseases in women when controlling for overweight/obesity, elevated serum cholesterol levels, and reproductive health. Overweight/obesity was the only indicator to show an additive effect with elevated serum CPR levels to predict cardiovascular diseases. The implications for positive social change are that women aged 20 years and older who are overweight and/or obese can decrease their serum CRP and cholesterol levels through education of exercise and healthy eating which in turn assists with decreasing their risk of cardiovascular diseases.