Table 2.
Comparison of biochemical and clinical parameters among cIMT tertile subgroups of ankylosing spondylitis patients.
| cIMT (mm) | p | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ≤0.480 | 0.481–0.565 | ≥0.566 | ||
| Age, years | 30 (26–34) | 37 (33–42) ** | 49 (41–52) ***,### | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 23.5 (21.4–26.7) | 26.8 (23.2–28.7) * | 28.5 (24.3–30.9) ** | 0.007 |
| WC, cm | 89.0 (83.5–92.5) | 92.0 (86.0–108.0) * | 101.0 (88.0–108.0) ** | 0.011 |
| WtHR | 0.511 (0.494–0.534) | 0.547 (0.509–0.606) ** | 0.582 (0.548–0.632) *** | <0.001 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 193.0 (164.5–221.0) | 206.0 (177.0–231.0) | 224.0 (191.5–241.5) * | 0.038 |
| LDL-c, mg/dL | 122 (98–150) | 127 (110–143) | 145 (124–156) * | 0.109 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.30 (5.10–5.55) | 5.50 (5.00–5.80) | 5.80 (5.55–6.00) ***,## | <0.001 |
| Folate, ng/mL | 8.0 (6.0–12.0) | 7.9 (5.0–9.0) | 9.0 (8.0–11.0) ## | 0.037 |
| BASDAI score | 3.90 (3.25–5.1) | 4.00 (3.30–4.90) | 5.50 (4.40–6.60) *,# | 0.043 |
| Right carotid thickness, mm | 0.440 (0.400–0.455) | 0.520 (0.500–0.560) *** | 0.650 (0.620–0.710) ***,### | <0.001 |
| Left carotid thickness, mm | 0.440 (0.400–0.450) | 0.520 (0.500–0.540) *** | 0.650 (0.620–0.710) ***,### | <0.001 |
For the P-Kruskal–Wallis test, subgroup comparisons were performed via the Mann–Whitney U test. *, **, and *** p < 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001 vs. first cIMT tertile subgroup, respectively. #, ##, and ### p < 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001 vs. second cIMT tertile subgroup, respectively. Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; WtHR, waist-to-height ratio; LDL-c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HbA1c, glycosylated haemoglobin A1c; BASDAI, bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index.