Table 1.
Characteristics of nondiabetic MESA participants without clinical CVD at exam 2 by A1C quartile
| Overall | A1C quartile 1 | A1C quartile 2 | A1C quartile 3 | A1C quartile 4 | Crude P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1C range (%) | (3.5–5.2) | (5.3–5.4) | (5.5–5.7) | (5.8–8.6) | ||
| Sample size (n) | 5,121 | 1,668 | 1,051 | 1,411 | 991 | |
| Age (years) | 63.2 ± 10.2 | 60.9 ± 10.0 | 62.9 ± 9.9 | 64.2 ± 10.2 | 65.9 ± 9.7 | <0.0001 |
| Male sex [n (column %)] | 2,391 (46.7) | 813 (48.7) | 489 (46.5) | 666 (47.2) | 423 (42.7) | 0.03 |
| Race/ethnicity [n (column %)] | <0.0001 | |||||
| White | 2,190 (42.8) | 926 (55.5) | 511 (48.6) | 525 (37.2) | 228 (23.0) | |
| Asian American | 594 (11.6) | 139 (8.3) | 138 (13.1) | 203 (14.4) | 114 (11.5) | |
| African American | 1,298 (25.4) | 302 (18.1) | 201 (19.1) | 380 (26.9) | 415 (41.9) | |
| Hispanic | 1,039 (20.3) | 301 (18.1) | 201 (19.1) | 303 (21.5) | 234 (23.6) | |
| Smoking status [n (column %)] | 0.85 | |||||
| Current | 593 (11.6) | 177 (10.7) | 123 (11.7) | 170 (12.1) | 123 (12.5) | |
| Never | 2,534 (49.7) | 825 (49.7) | 526 (50.1) | 702 (49.9) | 481 (49.0) | |
| Intentional exercise [n (column %)] | 0.003 | |||||
| None | 1,217 (23.8) | 370 (22.2) | 238 (22.7) | 341 (24.2) | 268 (27.1) | |
| <735 MET min/week | 1,269 (24.8) | 387 (23.2) | 262 (25.0) | 363 (25.7) | 258 (26.1) | |
| 736–1785 MET min/week | 1,275 (24.9) | 411 (24.7) | 277 (26.4) | 356 (25.3) | 231 (23.4) | |
| >1,785 MET min/week | 1,351 (26.4) | 499 (29.9) | 273 (26.0) | 348 (24.7) | 231 (23.4) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.9 ± 5.2 | 26.9 ± 4.8 | 27.2 ± 4.9 | 28.2 ± 5.3 | 30.0 ± 5.6 | <0.0001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 123 ± 20 | 120 ± 20 | 122 ± 21 | 123 ± 20 | 127 ± 21 | <0.0001 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 2.98 ± 0.82 | 2.89 ± 0.82 | 3.02 ± 0.80 | 3.01 ± 0.80 | 3.05 ± 0.87 | <0.0001 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.37 ± 0.39 | 1.41 ± 0.43 | 1.38 ± 0.38 | 1.34 ± 0.36 | 1.30 ± 0.37 | <0.0001 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) [median (interquartile range)] | 1.22 (0.87) | 1.17 (0.82) | 1.19 (0.83) | 1.24 (0.88) | 1.29 (0.89) | <0.001 |
| CRP (mg/l) [median (interquartile range)] | 1.75 (3.21) | 1.38 (2.66) | 1.53 (3.04) | 1.86 (3.30) | 2.61 (3.98) | <0.0001 |
| A1C (%) | 5.4 ± 0.4 | 5.0 ± 0.2 | 5.3 ± 0.1 | 5.6 ± 0.1 | 6.0 ± 0.3 | <0.0001 |
| Glucose (mmol/l) | 5.4 ± 0.5 | 5.1 ± 0.5 | 5.3 ± 0.5 | 5.4 ± 0.5 | 5.8 ± 0.6 | <0.0001 |
| Albuminuria [n (column %)] | 0.001 | |||||
| None | 4,734 (93.2) | 1,562 (94.3) | 972 (93.0) | 1,309 (93.9) | 891 (90.6) | |
| Microalbuminuria | 311 (6.1) | 87 (5.3) | 62 (5.9) | 74 (5.3) | 88 (9.0) | |
| Macroalbuminuria | 33 (0.7) | 7 (0.4) | 11 (1.05) | 11 (0.8) | 4 (0.4) | |
| Antihypertensive medication use [n (column %)] | 1,859 (36.3) | 518 (31.1) | 352 (33.5) | 505 (35.8) | 484 (48.8) | <0.0001 |
| Hypertension [n (column %)] | 2,320 (45.3) | 646 (38.8) | 458 (43.6) | 623 (44.2) | 593 (59.8) | <0.0001 |
| Lipid-lowering medication use [n (column %)] | 983 (19.2) | 240 (14.4) | 185 (17.6) | 300 (21.3) | 258 (26.0) | <0.0001 |
| Common CIMT (mm) | 0.85 ± 0.19 | 0.82 ± 0.18 | 0.84 ± 0.18 | 0.87 ± 0.19 | 0.91 ± 0.19 | <0.0001 |
| Internal CIMT (mm) | 1.03 ± 0.56 | 0.97 ± 0.51 | 1.02 ± 0.53 | 1.04 ± 0.57 | 1.14 ± 0.65 | <0.0001 |
| Prevalence of CAC >0 [n (column %)] | 2,504 (53.5) | 724 (47.4) | 520 (54.1) | 719 (55.4) | 541 (60.3) | <0.0001 |
| CAC score (if >0) (Agatston units) [median (interquartile range)] | 77.4 (254.2) | 62.1 (217.4) | 73.3 (233.2) | 86.9 (273.9) | 84.1 (310.7) | 0.06 |
Data are means ± SD, unless otherwise indicated. Sample size varies across A1C quartiles because of tied values. All measurements were obtained at exam 2, except for CRP and CIMT, which were measured 16 months prior to exam 2 at baseline, and CAC, which was measured either at exam 2 (n = 2,438) or interpolated from measurements made at baseline and 39 months later at exam 3 (n = 2,246). Data were missing for smoking status (n = 25), intentional exercise (n = 9), systolic blood pressure (n = 3), LDL cholesterol (n = 42), HDL cholesterol (n = 4), triglycerides (n = 2), CRP (n = 33), albuminuria (n = 43), common CIMT (n = 57), internal CIMT (n = 120), and CAC (n = 437). P values for comparisons among A1C quartiles are based on χ2 or one-way ANOVA (3 degrees of freedom). For CRP, triglycerides, and CAC score, P values were calculated using ln.