Abstract: Objective To explore the relationship between inflammation marker hypersensitivity C-Reaction Protein(hsCRP) and carotid artherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(DM), to deepen the cognition of peripheral vascular disease(PVD) induced by diabetes mellitus. Methods Carotid artery ultrasonometry intra-tunica media thickness(IMT) was tested in 150 type 2 diabetic patients to observe if there were plaques or not. Serum hsCRP quantitative estimation was analyzed. Statistic methods were used in interrelationship analyze of the serum hsCRP, carotid artherosclerosis and plaques formation. Results 1 Serum hsCRP abnormal proportion in diabetic patients with carotid artherosclerosis was significantly higher than diabetic patients without it(P<0.01). Those serum hsCRP abnormal proportion in diabetic patients with IMT and plaques was significantly higher than that of normal control group(P=0.000 and P=0.02); 2 There was no significant differences in serum hsCRP abnormal proportion in smoker-patients and non-smoker patients; 3 Serum hsCRP abnormal proportion in hypertension patients was significantly higher than that of non-hypertension patients(P<0.05); 4 After Logistic regression, we found that age(OR=1.023, P=0.00), hsCRP(OR=1.012, P=0.00), LDL-C(OR=2.553, P=0.00), HDL-C(OR=0.146, P=0.00), hypertension(OR=3.465, P=0.00) and smoking history(OR=2.276, P=0.00) were related with carotid artherosclerosis. Conclusion There was a certain relationship between the level of serum hsCRP and carotid artherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Serum hsCRP abnormal proportion in type 2 diabetes mellitus with carotid artherosclerosis especially with carotid plaques was significantly higher than that of patients without carotid pathology. Hypertension may have an effort on the relationship of serum hsCRP and carotid artherosclerosis.

Key words: type 2 diabetes mellitus, artherosclerosis, hypersensitivity C-Reaction protein