CRP and diabetes mellitus: The diastolic blood pressure, serum levels of total cholesterol (T-chol) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-chol), prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and use of antihypertensive agents, antidiabetic agents and statins were all significantly increased at follow-up, while the prevalence of smoking and the serum level of C-reactive protein (CRP) were decreased.