C-reactive protein as an available biomarker determining mental component of health-related quality of life among individuals with spinal cord injury

The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2017 · DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2016.1139771 · Published: May 1, 2017

Spinal Cord Injury Participation Bioinformatics

Simple Explanation

This study investigates the relationship between inflammatory markers and quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, it examines whether C-reactive protein (CRP) and other biomarkers are associated with mental and physical aspects of quality of life. The researchers measured various biomarkers, including CRP and leptin, and assessed quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire. They analyzed the data to see if these biomarkers could predict the mental and physical component scores of the questionnaire. The study found that CRP levels were associated with the mental component of quality of life, while leptin levels were linked to the physical component. This suggests that these biomarkers might be useful in predicting different aspects of well-being in individuals with SCI.

Study Duration

November 2010 and April 2013

Participants

85 men and 19 women with spinal cord injury

Evidence Level

Cross-sectional study

Key Findings

1
CRP levels were inversely correlated with the Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the SF-36 questionnaire, even after adjusting for confounders.
2
Leptin levels were inversely correlated with the Physical Component Summary (PCS) of the SF-36 questionnaire.
3
Neither CRP nor leptin was significantly associated with the total score of the SF-36 questionnaire after adjustment for confounders.

Research Summary

This study aimed to identify biomarkers associated with health-related quality of life (HRQL) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The results indicated that C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with the mental component of HRQL, while leptin is linked to the physical component. The combined consideration of CRP and leptin levels may help predict HRQL in individuals with SCI, although neither biomarker was independently associated with the total HRQL score.

Practical Implications

Clinical Prediction

CRP and leptin levels could potentially be used as biomarkers to predict the mental and physical components of HRQL in individuals with SCI.

Targeted Interventions

The findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing inflammation might improve the mental component of HRQL in SCI patients.

Personalized Treatment

Considering both CRP and leptin levels may lead to more personalized treatment strategies to improve overall HRQL in this population.

Study Limitations

1
The unbalanced sex distribution in the sample of this study may results in misjudgments especially among population of women.
2
Reduced social functioning among women may be affected by culture-specific factors.
3
Further investigations with consideration of factors related to culture and religion be performed with higher sample size of female participants to render more reliable results of quality of life assessment in Iranian population.

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