Serum calcium and magnesium were inversely associated with high sensitivity C-reactive protein in Chinese adults with coronary artery disease

Abstract

Objective

Scarce data examined the associations of circulating calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in humans. We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study to evaluate the associations of serum Ca, Mg, and Ca/Mg ratio with hsCRP and examine the mediating roles of body mass index (BMI).

Methods

A total of 7203 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) (average age: 61.0 years) were included. Serum concentrations of Ca, Mg, and hsCRP were measured.

Results

The multivariate analysis of covariance was used to determine Ca- and Mg-hsCRP associations. Serum Ca and Mg were inversely associated with hsCRP, while no significant association between Ca/Mg ratio and hsCRP was detected. After adjustment for age and sex, higher Ca and Mg concentrations were associated with lower hsCRP (quintile5 [Q5] vs. Q1: 6.35 vs. 11.88 mmol/L for Ca; Q4 vs. Q1: 4.61 vs. 6.44 mmol/L for Mg). The multivariate-adjusted analysis found that serum Ca and Mg were inversely associated with hsCRP levels (Q5 vs. Q1: 6.69 vs. 11.33 mmol/L for Ca; Q4 vs. Q1: 4.65 vs. 6.32 mmol/L for Mg). Similar findings were observed in the stratified analyses by sex (men and women) and BMI (< 28 and ≥ 28 kg/m²). In path analysis, BMI had no mediating effects on the Ca- or Mg-hsCRP associations.

Conclusion

Generally, our study showed significant inverse associations of serum Ca and Mg with hsCRP in CAD patients. Our findings provided further support for the anti-inflammatory effects of Ca and Mg in CAD patients.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Calcium
• magnesium
• high sensitivity c-reactive protein
• cross-sectional study
• path analysis

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This work was partly supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission Project Foundation (No. Z2022011), the 2020 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program of Jiangsu Province (Doctor Funds of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program), Nantong Health Committee Foundation (No. QA2020031), and “Dengfeng Project” for the construction of high-level hospitals in Guangdong Province-the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College Supporting Funding.

The funders had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

Nan Lu designed the research. Hongli Dong, Ping Hu, and Jie Wang conducted research. Hongli Dong analyzed the data and wrote the paper. Nan Lu critically revised the manuscript. Nan Lu had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank other participants and staff who contributed to the present study.

Data availability statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article.