Table 2.
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with and without coronary calcification (CAC)
| Characteristic | Without CAC | With CAC | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients (%) | 224 (57.7) | 164 (42.3) | |
| Male gender (%) | 72.3 | 85.4 | 0.0022 |
| Age > 65 yr old (%) | 4.9 | 29.9 | 0.0000 |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 6.8 | 22.8 | 0.0001 |
| GFR<60 ml/min (%) | 44.5 | 61.6 | 0.0009 |
| Hypertension (%) | 78.6 | 92.0 | 0.0004 |
| Pulse pressure ≥75th percentile (%) | 31.4 | 50.7 | 0.0003 |
| Fibrinogen ≥75th percentile (%) | 19.0 | 32.7 | 0.01 |
| hs-CRP ≥ 75th percentile (%) | 23.8 | 28.9 | NS |
| i-PTH above upper normal limit (%) | 39.6 | 39.3 | NS |
| Calcium above upper normal limit (%) | 38.1 | 43.2 | NS |
| Phosphorus above upper normal limit (%) | 22.3 | 16.3 | NS |
| Ca × P product above 55 mg2/dL2 (%) | 5.7 | 4.9 | NS |
| LDL-C above upper normal limit (%) | 67.6 | 58.2 | NS |
| Homocysteine ≥75th percentile (%) | 24.8 | 25.3 | NS |
Fibrinogen 75th percentile value = 418 mg/dl; hs- CRP 75th percentile value = 0.4 mg/L; homocysteine 75th percentile value = 28.4 mg/L. Upper normal limit for i-PTH: 60 pg/ml for GFR ≥ 60 ml/min, 70 pg/ml for GFR range 59-30 ml/min, 110 pg/ml for GFR range 29-15 ml/min, and 300 pg/ml for GFR <15 ml/min. Upper normal limit for serum phosphorus: 4.6 mg/dl for GFR ≥15 ml/min and 5.5 mg/dl for GFR<15 ml/min. Upper normal limit for serum calcium:10.5 mg/dl for GFR ≥15 ml/min and 9.5 mg/dl for GFR <15 ml/min. LDL-C upper normal limit:100 mg/dl. GFR, glomerular filtration rate (as creatinine clearance); hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; i-PTH, intact parathyroid hormone; Ca × P product, calcium–phosphorus product; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol.