Table 1.
Clinical characteristics
| Demographic data | |
| Age (years) | 61.6 ± 9.7 |
| Male/female (n/n) | 37/14 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 30.2 ± 3.9 |
| Weight (kg) | 90.0 ± 15.6 |
| Comorbidities | |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 32 (55) |
| Coronary artery disease, n (%) | 20 (35) |
| Left ventricular hypertrophy, n (%) | 15 (26) |
| Hyperlipidaemia, n (%) | 24 (41) |
| History of stroke, TIA, n (%) | 9 (16) |
| Current smoking, n (%) | 9 (16) |
| Na-MRI | |
| Sodium content in M. triceps surae (AU) | 20.6 ± 4.4 |
| Sodium content in skin (AU) | 20.9 ± 4.3 |
| Office BP | |
| Office systolic BP (mmHg) | 158 ± 23 |
| Office diastolic BP (mmHg) | 87 ± 16 |
| Office heart rate (bpm) | 71 ± 15 |
| 24-h ABP | |
| 24-h systolic ABP (mmHg) | 157 ± 16 |
| 24-h diastolic ABP (mmHg) | 87 ± 13 |
| 24-h ambulatory heart rate (bpm) | 67 ± 12 |
| Day-time systolic ABP (mmHg) | 159 ± 16 |
| Day-time diastolic ABP (mmHg) | 89 ± 13 |
| Day-time heart rate (bpm) | 69 ± 12 |
| Night-time systolic ABP (mmHg) | 151 ± 21 |
| Night-time diastolic ABP (mmHg) | 80 ± 13 |
| Night-time heart rate (bpm) | 62 ± 11 |
| Systolic nocturnal dipping rate (%) | 5.1 ± 11.0 |
| Diastolic nocturnal dipping rate (%) | 9.9 ± 10.1 |
| Laboratory values | |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.6 ± 1.3 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 1.2 ± 0.5 |
| eGFR, CKD-Epi formula (mL/min/1.73 m²) | 69.5 ± 24.7 |
| Triglyceride | 207.2 ± 117.5 |
| Cholesterol (mg/dl) | 196.0 ± 52.0 |
| LDL-cholesterol (mg/dl) | 131.5 ± 42.0 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dl) | 13.9 ± 1.6 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 40.6 ± 4.4 |
| Antihypertensive medication | |
| Number of antihypertensive medication, n (%) | 6.2 ± 1.6 |
| ACE inhibitors, n (%) | 20 (35) |
| ARBs, n (%) | 45 (78) |
| Direct renin inhibitors, n (%) | 25 (43) |
| Betablockers, n (%) | 46 (79) |
| Calcium-channel blockers, n (%) | 49 (85) |
| Diuretics, n (%) | 54 (93) |
| Aldosterone antagonists, n (%) | 10 (17) |
| Vasodilators, n (%) | 21 (36) |
| Centrally acting sympatholytics, n (%) | 46 (79) |
Data are presented as mean ± SD
Na Sodium, Na-MRI Na magnetic resonance imaging, BP blood pressure, bpm beats per minute, ABP ambulatory blood pressure, BMI body mass index, LDL low density lipid, HbA1c glycated hemoglobin, eGFR estimated glomerular filtration rate, CKD-EPI Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration, ACE angiotensin-converting enzyme, ARB angiotensin receptor blocker