Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Study Participants by Study Drug Assignment (Ginkgo biloba vs Placebo)
| No. (%) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Placebo (n = 1524) | Ginkgo (n = 1545) | P Valuea | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 79.1 (3.3) | 79.1 (3.3) | .88 | |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 716 (47) | 702 (45) |  |
.39 |
| Male | 808 (53) | 843 (55) | ||
| Race | ||||
| White | 1448 (95) | 1482 (96) |  |
.23 |
| Nonwhite | 76 (5) | 63 (4) | ||
| Education | ||||
| High school or less | 534 (35) | 570 (37) |  |
.40 |
| Some college | 395 (26) | 380 (25) | ||
| College graduate | 229 (15) | 250 (16) | ||
| Postgraduate | 366 (24) | 344 (22) | ||
| Medical history | ||||
| Any CVDb | 394 (25.9) | 392 (25.4) | .76 | |
| Myocardial infarction | 152 (10) | 148 (10) | .50 | |
| Heart failure | 33 (2) | 28 (2) | .62 | |
| Stroke | 45 (3) | 43 (3) | .37 | |
| Hypertension | 832 (55) | 833 (54) | .71 | |
| Diabetes | 138 (9) | 139 (9) | .18 | |
| Cancer (past 5 y) | 281 (18) | 283 (18) | .61 | |
| Cognitive test scores | ||||
| 3MSE, mean (SD) | 93.3 (4.7) | 93.3 (4.7) | .76 | |
| CDR score of 0 | 922 (61) | 910 (59) |  |
.69 |
| CDR score of 0.5 | 600 (39) | 631 (41) | ||
| ADAS-Cog, mean (SD) | 6.4 (2.7) | 6.5 (2.8) | .17 | |
| Difficulty with Activities of Daily Living (score of 1 or more) | 269 (18) | 273 (18) | .99 | |
| Gait speed, mean (SD), seconds to walk 15 ft | 5.1 (1.5) | 5.1 (1.2) | .20 | |
| Blood pressure, mean (SD) | ||||
| Systolic, mm Hg | 133 (18.4) | 133 (18.1) | .36 | |
| Diastolic, mm Hg | 69.0 (9.9) | 68.8 (9.9) | .71 | |
| Body mass indexc | ||||
| Underweight (<18.5) | 14 (1) | 12 (1) |  |
.62 |
| Normal (18.5–24.9) | 478 (31) | 482 (31) | ||
| Overweight (25–29.9) | 687 (45) | 724 (47) | ||
| Obese (≥30) | 341 (22) | 319 (21) | ||
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never | 622 (42) | 602 (40) |  |
.51 |
| Former | 805 (53) | 846 (56) | ||
| Current | 65 (4) | 71 (5) | ||
| Mild cognitive impairment at baseline | 226 (14.8) | 256 (16.6) | .18 | |
| APOE genotype: presence of ε4 alleled | 281 (23.0) | 297 (24.1) | .52 | |
Abbreviations: 3MSE, Modified Mini-Mental State Examination; ADAS-Cog, cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale; APOE, apolipoprotein E; CDR, Clinical Dementia Rating; CVD, cardiovascular disease.
a
P values computed using χ2 (discrete variables) or t test (continuous variables).
b
Defined as coronary heart disease, angina, stroke, transient ischemic attack, bypass surgery, or angioplasty.
c
Calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
d
Apolipoprotein E genotype was available for 2454 individuals.