Racial differences in C-reactive protein levels during normal pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in a diverse population of healthy pregnant women with the use of a high sensitivity assay.

Study design: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of 775 pregnant women. CRP was measured on serum specimens that were drawn at < 26 weeks of gestation with highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Results: Median CRP was 4.8 mg/L (interquartile range, 0.63-15.7). Black women had higher median CRP values than did white women (7.68 vs 2.59 mg/L; P < .001). Black women demonstrated higher levels of CRP, even after the data were controlled for known confounding factors such as smoking and maternal weight.

Conclusion: Pregnancy is an inflammatory stressor. The cause of racial differences is unclear but may be important for understanding racial disparities in the incidence of inflammatory disorders such as preterm labor and preeclampsia.

Figures

Figure 1. Linear Regression Analysis for Serum CRP Values in Black and White Women by Gestational Age

● Solid Black CircleData points representing serum CRP values for Blacks (mg/L)○ Open CircleData points representing serum CRP values for Whites (mg/L)Solid Black LineBest-fit linear regression for serum CRP levels in Black women and increasing gestational age (R2 < .01)Dashed Black LineBest-fit linear regression line for serum CRP levels in White women and increasing gestational age (R2 < .01) Brief Description This figure illustrates the non-significant trend toward increasing serum CRP levels with increasing gestational age. Regression lines for Black and White women are shown separately, which visually represents the racial disparity in serum CRP levels.