Table 2.

Associations between 21-year average C-reactive protein and late-life white matter structure in the total sample and stratified by APOE ε4 allele status

MRI Characteristics (Visit 5)	Total (n = 1,532)		APOE ε4 Negative (n = 1,104)		APOE ε4 Positive (n = 428)

	β (95% CI) ^a	p	β (95% CI) ^a	p	β (95% CI) ^a	p
WMH Volume, mm³ (log transformed) ^b	0.05 (0.00, 0.10)	.031	0.02 (−0.03, 0.08)	.402	0.10 (0.03, 0.18)	.008
Total White Matter, FA ^b	−0.07 (−0.11, −0.02)	.004	−0.03 (−0.08, 0.03)	.340	−0.15 (−0.23, −0.08)	.001
Total White Matter, MD ^b	0.05 (0.01, 0.08)	.016	0.02 (−0.02, 0.07)	.330	0.09 (0.03, 0.15)	.004

Models are adjusted for age, sex, race-center, education, cigarette smoking and alcohol use status, BMI, total cholesterol, HDL, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, previous cancer, inflammatory disease, anti-inflammatory medication use, and APOE ε4 status.

Abbreviations: FA = fractional anisotropy; MD = mean diffusivity; WMH = white matter hyperintensity

β values represent the difference in standardized white matter hyperintensity volume, fractional anisotropy, and mean diffusivity per one unit higher log CRP (mg/L).

APOE ε4 allele by CRP interaction statistically significant