Gender and the Active Smoking and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Relation in Late Adolescence

C-reactive protein (CRP), smoking, and oral contraceptive (OC) use are associated with cardiovascular disease risk in adults.

This study examines the effect of smoking on high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels, and the interactive effects of sex and OC use on this relationship, in an adolescent cohort. A total of 1050 adolescents (mean age, 17±0.25 years) from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study had anthropometric, lifestyle and metabolic measures recorded.

The association between smoking status and log-transformed hs-CRP was analysed using multivariable tobit linear regression models, with adjustment for adiposity, lifestyle, and early-life confounders. A three-level variable (girls not using OC, girls using OC, and boys) was employed to assess the interactive effects of sex, OC use, and smoking.

Smoking associated with higher hs-CRP levels in girls not using OC (b=0.571; p=0.001), but not in girls using OC (b= -0.117; p=0.598) or in boys (b=0.183; p=0.2). OC use in non-smoking girls was the strongest factor associated with higher hs-CRP levels (b=1.189; p<0.001). This study has demonstrated a more robust effect of smoking on hs-CRP levels in girls not using OC, compared with boys. The findings may explain why cardiovascular disease risk conferred by smoking is higher in women than in men.

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Gender and the Active Smoking and High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Relation in Late Adolescence

Source: Journal of Lipid Research
Image credits: BLS