Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of the population (n = 342) by Ab40 tertiles (i.e., lower vs. highest).
| Total population (n = 342) | Lower (n = 228) | Highest (n = 114) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex [male], n (%) | 140 (40.9) | 85 (37.3) | 55 (39.3) | 0.062 |
| Age [years], mean (SD) | 57 (12.6) | 56.9 (12.8) | 59.3 (12.0) | 0.095 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 104 (30.4) | 71(31.7) | 33 (30.3) | 0.751 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 127 (37.1) | 78 (34.7) | 49 (44.5) | 0.178 |
| Hyperlipidemia, n (%) | 164 (47.9) | 107(47.6) | 57 (50) | 0.651 |
| Hypolipidemic treatment, n (%) | 94 (27.4) | 60 (26.7) | 34 (30.9) | 0.574 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 42 (12.2) | 23 (10.2) | 19 (17.3) | 0.15 |
| BMI [kg/m2], mean (SD) | 27.5 (4.7) | 27.4 (4.7) | 27.5 (4.7) | 0.95 |
| GFR [ml/min/m2], mean (SD) | 108.3 (43.1) | 117.3 (42.4) | 105.8 (45.6) | 0.04 |
| Total cholesterol [mg/dl], mean (SD) | 204 (46) | 205 (43) | 203 (51) | 0.649 |
| Triglycerides [mg/dl], median (IQR) | 95 (70) | 110 (59) | 118 (73) | 0.268 |
| LDL-C [mg/dl], mean (SD) | 125 (40) | 130 (39) | 130 (43) | 0.916 |
| HDL-C [mg/dl], mean (SD) | 56 (16) | 52 (16) | 44 (14) | 0.018 |
| hs-CRP [mg/dl], median (IQR) | 1.1 (2.07) | 1.05 (2.08) | 1.2 (2.46) | 0.486 |
| Amyloid-beta 1–40 [pg/ml], median (IQR) | 49.0 (35.6) | 40.95 (24.9–51.6) | 91.3 (71.53–118.4) | < 0.001 |
| SBP [mmHg], mean (SD) | 125.6 (19.2) | 127.1 (18.4) | 131.4 (20.7) | 0.053 |
| DBP [mmHg], mean (SD) | 72.3 (10.8) | 72.5 (11.0) | 73.3 (10.5) | 0.551 |
| Presence of Carotid plaque, n (%) | 136 (39.7) | 82 (37.4) | 54 (51.4) | 0.022 |
| Plaque GSM, [ median (IQR) | 43 (20) | 46 (26.3) | 38.0 (22.0) | 0.037 |
| Maximum plaque area, [mm2], median (IQR) | 24.8 (26.1) | 21.8 (19.0) | 28.4 (32.8) | 0.017 |
| Total plaque area, [mm2], median (IQR) | 34.4 (43.9) | 30.5 (34.3) | 51.2 (53.1) | 0.016 |
P-values are derived from independent Student’s t-test for continuous variables and the Pearson’s chi squared test for categorical variables. BMI: Body mass index, hs-CRP: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, GFR: Glomerular filtration rate, GSM: gray-scale median, LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, SBP: Systolic blood pressure, DBP: Diastolic blood pressure.