High-sensitivity c-reactive protein elevation is independently associated with subclinical renal impairment in the middle-aged and elderly population—a community-based study in Northern Taiwan

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the associations between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and renal impairment (RI) among middle-aged and elderly people. We collected and analyzed demographic, anthropometric, metabolic, and renal function data in a community-based population in Northern Taiwan. We excluded subjects with acute inflammation from this study and defined RI as the presence of urinary albumin–creatinine ratio 30–300 mg/g or an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/1.73 m². There were 131, 125, and 125 participants in the low (≤0.80 mg/L), middle (0.81–1.76 mg/L), and high (>1.77 mg/L) hs-CRP tertiles, respectively. hs-CRP exhibited significantly positive correlations with body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglyceride, and fasting plasma glucose, and a negative correlation with high-density lipoprotein. The prevalence and odds ratio of RI significantly increased across hs-CRP tertiles from low to high, and this trend remained significant after adjusting for the conventional cardiometabolic risk factors. hs-CRP ≥ 1.61 mg/L in the total group and ≥2.03 mg/L in the elderly group accurately predicted RI (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). These findings suggest that we should carefully evaluate the renal function for at-risk individuals with hs-CRP elevation.