Table 1.
Descriptive and clinical characteristics of the study cohort
| Men (n = 321) | Women (n = 312) | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age (years) | 68 ± 12 | 65 ± 13 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27 ± 4 | 26 ± 5 |
| Caucasian (n, %) | 204 (63) | 184 (53) |
| Smoking (n, %) | 146 (45) | 127 (41) |
| Physical activity level (METs/week) | 107 ± 74 | 106 ± 65 |
| Hypertension (n, %) | 171 (53) | 104 (33) |
| Diabetes (n, %) | 33 (10) | 8 (2) |
| Post menopause status (n, %) | --- | 241 (77) |
| Age at menopause (years) | --- | 49 ± 6 |
| Cardiovascular parameters | ||
| SBP (mmHg) | 128 ± 17 | 123 ± 20 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 70 ± 9 | 64 ± 9 |
| MAP (mmHg) | 89 ± 10 | 83 ± 11 |
| HR (beats/min) | 63 ± 9 | 66 ± 9 |
| PWV (m/s) | 7.1 ± 1.9 | 6.5 ± 1.8 |
| Medications | ||
| Antihypertensive drugs (n, %) | 171 (53) | 104 (33) |
| Loop diuretics | 12 (4) | 4 (1) |
| Thiazide diuretics | 54 (16) | 54 (17) |
| Hypoglycemic agents (n, %) | 33 (10) | 8 (2) |
| Hormone replacement therapy (n, %) | 20 (6) | 80 (25) |
| Calcium supplements (n,%) | 19 (6) | 40 (13) |
| Vitamin D supplements (n,%) | 15 (5) | 22 (7) |
| Calcium and Vitamin D supplements (n,%) | 43 (13) | 76 (24) |
| Laboratory | ||
| Fasting glucose (mg/dl) | 96 ± 15 | 90 ± 13 |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 1.1 ± 0.2 | 0.9 ± 0.2 |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 4.1 ± 0.3 | 4.1 ± 0.3 |
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73m2) | 74 ± 15 | 74 ± 17 |
| Cac (mg/dl) | 9.2 ± 0.3 | 9.2 ± 0.4 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 182 ± 37 | 199 ± 38 |
| LDL- cholesterol (mg/dl) | 108 ± 32 | 115 ± 34 |
| HDL- cholesterol (mg/dl) | 54 ± 14 | 65 ± 17 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 100 ± 62 | 98 ± 48 |
| Total Estradiol (ng/dl) | 2.2 (0.9)* | 0.5 (0.8)* |
| Total Testosterone (ng/ml) | 453 (211)* | 23.7 (13.5)* |
| Computed tomography scan | ||
| Cortical CSA (mm2) | 241 ± 29 | 180 ± 22 |
*
median, interquartile range.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; Cac, corrected calcium; CSA, cross-sectional area; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HR, heart rate; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MAP, mean arterial pressure; PWV, pulse wave velocity; SBP, systolic blood pressure.