Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study participants
| Patient characteristics | All participants (n = 137) | Patients with SCH (n = 34) | Patients with normal TSH (n = 103) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 43 ± 13.3 | 39 ± 9.3 | 41 ± 11.2 |
| Males, n (%) | 107 (78.1%) | 25 (73.5%) | 82 (79.6%) |
| Diabetics, n (%) | 45 (32.8%) | 17 (50.0%) | 28 (27.2%) |
| Smokers, n (%) | 38 (27.7%) | 14 (41.2%) | 24 (23.3%) |
| Duration of dialysis, years | 5.6 ± 2.2 | 5.5 ± 2.1 | 5.6 ± 2.5 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dl | 8.5 ± 1.5 | 9.1 ± 0.8 | 8.5 ± 1.0 |
| Body mass index | 21.5 ± 3.4 | 22.1 ± 3.1 | 22.7 ± 2.9 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 142 ± 10.7 | 139 ± 12.5 | 141 ± 11.9 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 86.3 ± 9.2 | 84.9 ± 11.2 | 87.3 ± 8.7 |
| Blood urea nitrogen, mg/dl | 119.8 ± 67.1 | 91.0 ± 40.2 | 121.0 ± 32.9 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 9.0 ± 4.0 | 9.2 ± 3.0 | 10.0 ± 1.9 |
| Serum calcium, mg/dl | 8.4 ± 1.4 | 8.5 ± 1.2 | 8.9 ± 1.1 |
| Serum phosphate, mg/dl | 5.5 ± 1.8 | 5.2 ± 1.4 | 5.4 ± 1.3 |
| Serum albumin, g/dl | 3.7 ± 0.5 | 2.5 ± 0.8∗ | 3.8 ± 0.4 |
| Alkaline phosphatase, IU | 162.4 ± 147.9 | 161.0 ± 103.5 | 174.0 ± 78.9 |
| FT4, ng/dl | 1.2 ± 0.2 | 1.1 ± 0.2 | 1.2 ± 0.2 |
| TSH, μIU/ml | 4.2 ± 2.5 | 5.1 ± 3.1 | 3.2 ± 0.6 |
| HbA1C, % | 8.7 ± 0.7 | 8.9 ± 0.5 | 9.1 ± 0.3 |
| ACR, mg/g | 1,573.6 ± 523.1 | 1,476.0 ± 356.5 | 1,640.1 ± 580.8 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl | 193.4 ± 31.2 | 193 ± 36.5 | 192.7 ± 35.2 |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dl | 46.5 ± 5.76 | 44.2 ± 7.9 | 47.2 ± 8.3 |
| LDL cholesterol, mg/dl | 116.3 ± 33.9 | 115 ± 37.4 | 114.8 ± 33.8 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dl | 130.6 ± 67.2 | 128.9 ± 72.8 | 130 ± 68.3 |
∗
p = 0.012. All other comparisons were nonsignificant. All values are mean levels measured before dialysis.