Distribution and Correlates of C-Reactive Protein Concentrations among Adult US Women

tive protein (CRP) concentration among adult women in the US helps to establish the magnitude of women at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Methods: We examined the distribution and correlates of CRP, using data from 2205 women>20 years of age from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000. CRP was measured with a high-sensitivity latex-enhanced turbidimetric assay. Results: CRP concentration ranged from 0.1 to 296.0 mg/L (median, 2.7 mg/L). After exclusion of women with a CRP concentration>10 mg/L, the median was 2.2 mg/L. Approximately 25.6 % of women, representing 26.6 million women, did not report using hormone replacement therapy and had a CRP concentration>3.0 to 10 mg/L, a category considered to indicate high ris