C-Reactive Protein Gene Variants and Their Serum Levels in Early Adult-onset Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background/aim: C-Reactive protein (CRP) is a common marker of inflammation. Elevated CRP levels have been associated with increased risk of development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to evaluate the association of CRP gene polymorphisms with early-onset T2DM and the effect of genetic variants on CRP level.

Materials and methods: In total, 948 individuals with early-onset (n=271) or late-onset (n=677) T2DM were enrolled in the study. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CRP gene, namely rs3093077, rs2808630, rs1800947, rs11265263, and rs11265265, were selected for genotyping, and CRP levels were measured.

Results: Genotypic, allelic, and haplotype frequencies of these five SNPs were not significantly different between patients with early- and those with late-onset. T2DM Higher serum CRP levels were independently associated with the C-allele of rs3093077 and T-allele of rs11265265 (p<0.001). Furthermore, the C-allele of rs3093077 was associated with higher CRP level in both early- (p=0.016) and late-onset (p<0.001) T2DM.

Conclusion: CRP gene variants may contribute to the risk of early-onset T2DM by affecting the serum CRP level.

Keywords: C-Reactive protein; Taiwan; early-onset; polymorphism; type 2 diabetes.