%0 Journal Article
%T Association of Mitral Annulus Calcification with High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, Which Is a Marker of Inflammation
%A Ertu rul Kurto lu
%A Hasan Korkmaz
%A Erdal Akt¨¹rk
%A M¨¹cahid Y lmaz
%A Yakup Alta
%A Ahmet U kan
%J Mediators of Inflammation
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/606207
%X Objectives. There are limited clinical data revealing the relationship between mitral annular calcification (MAC) and systemic inflammation. The goal of the present study was to compare high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in patients with and without MAC and investigate the relationship between MAC and hs-CRP. Methods. One hundred patients with MAC who underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and 100 age-matched controls without MAC who underwent TTE were included in our study. Hs-CRP levels were compared between groups. Results. Prevalence of female gender, hypertension, and coronary artery disease were significantly higher in the MAC group than in the control group (64% versus 45%, =0.007, 42% versus 28%, =0.03 and 37% versus 18%, =0.003, resp.). On multivariate analysis, age, gender, and coronary artery disease were the only independent predictors of MAC. The levels of hs-CRP were higher in the MAC group than in the control group (2.02¡À0.35 versus 1.43¡À0.47 mg/dl, <0.001). This increase in hs-CRP levels in the MAC group persisted in patients without hypertension, coronary artery disease, and in male patients when compared to the control group. Conclusions. Our study demonstrated that hs-CRP, which is a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation, increased in patients with MAC.
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2012/606207/