Study of hs-CRP Level in Prisoners in Mashhad and Their Relation to Demographic Factors

Prisoners are a certain part of the population. Prisoners are kept in a closed environment for a long period of time and are prone to various diseases. Inflammatory biomarkers, including hs-CRP, are new risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The aim of this study was to compare hs-CRP levels in male and female prisoners and investigate the relationship between hsCRP levels with related factors.

In this cross-sectional study, 316 prisoners in Mashhad Prison were investigated. A blood sample (7ml) was taken from each subject. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was used to measure serum levels of highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, T-test, Pearson and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used. P<0.05 was considered to be the level of significance.

316 prisoners were investigated of whom 211 (66.8%) were male and 105 (33.2%) were female. Mean hs-CRP level was 5.72±7.93 µg/ml in men and 7.48±8.39 in women. The difference between the two genders were statistically significant (p<0.001). The mean hs-CRP level was significantly higher in prisoners who did injection drug use compared to those who inhaled or consumed drugs (p<0.001). A significant correlation was observed between age, systolic blood pressure, frequency of imprisonment, height and BMI and hs-CRP levels.

Since hs-CRP is an important biomarker for non-communicable diseases, considering these factors and other risk factors for chronic diseases in the high-risk and vulnerable groups of prisoners, prevention and control measures can be planned by this group of people.