Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the study cohort by aortic plaque presence/thickness and location
| Aortic Arch | Descending Aorta | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Plaque (n=79) |
Small Plaque (n=80) |
Large Plaque (n=50) |
No Plaque (n=81) |
Small Plaque (n=85) |
Large Plaque (n=41) |
|
| Age, years | 63.3±6.8 | 69.1±8.4** | 69.5±9.5** | 63.5±7.4 | 67.7±7.8** | 72.5±9.3**§§ |
| Women, n (%) | 35 (44.3) | 39 (48.8) | 19 (38.0) | 34 (42.0) | 39 (45.9) | 18 (43.9) |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| White, n (%) | 6 (7.6) | 13 (16.3) | 11 (22.0)* | 5 (6.2) | 15 (17.7)* | 10 (24.4)** |
| Black, n (%) | 27 (34.2) | 21 (26.3) | 14 (28.0) | 23 (28.4) | 25 (29.4) | 14 (34.2) |
| Hispanic, n (%) | 46 (58.2) | 46 (57.5) | 25 (50.0) | 53 (65.4) | 45 (52.9) | 17 (41.5)* |
| Body Mass Index, kg/m2 | 28.0±4.7 | 26.9±4.2 | 28.3±5.9 | 26.8±4.8 | 28.1±4.9 | 27.9±4.6 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 48 (60.8) | 60 (75.0) | 37 (74.0) | 43 (53.1) | 65 (76.5)** | 35 (85.4)** |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 20 (25.3) | 21 (26.3) | 7 (14.0) | 12 (14.8) | 23 (27.1) | 13 (31.7)* |
| Smoking History, n (%) | 41 (51.9) | 51 (63.8) | 34 (68.0) | 51 (63.0) | 47 (55.3) | 27 (65.9) |
| Current Smoking, n (%) | 7 (9.1) | 16 (20.5)* | 10 (20.0) | 11 (13.8) | 10 (12.2) | 11 (26.8)§ |
| Hypercholesterolemia, n (%) | 33 (41.8) | 37 (46.3) | 32 (64.0)*§ | 34 (42.0) | 42 (49.4) | 25 (61.0)* |
| Coronary Artery Disease, n (%) | 11 (13.9) | 22 (27.5)* | 12 (24.0) | 9 (11.1) | 23 (27.1)** | 12 (29.3)* |
| Atrial Fibrillation, n (%) | 4 (5.1) | 4 (5.1) | 3 (6.0) | 3 (3.7) | 7 (8.2) | 1 (2.5) |
| Carotid Stenosis ≥ 60%, n (%) | 1 (1.3) | 0 | 0 | 1 (1.2) | 0 | 0 |
| Medications | ||||||
| Aspirin, n (%) | 24 (30.4) | 25 (31.3) | 17 (34.0) | 20 (24.7) | 29 (34.1) | 15 (36.6) |
| Warfarin, n (%) | 0 | 1 (1.3) | 4 (8.2)**§ | 0 | 3 (3.5) | 2 (5.0)* |
| Lipid-lowering Drugs, n (%) | 9 (11.4) | 10 (12.5) | 13 (26.0)*§ | 12 (14.8) | 14 (16.5) | 6 (14.6) |
*
P<0.05,
**
P<0.01 vs. no plaque;
§
P <0.05,
§§
P<0.01 vs. small plaque