Table 1.
Baseline characteristics in overall cohort as well as comparisons by elevated (≥3 mg/l) versus low (<3 mg/l) HsCRP levels
| Overall | Elevated HsCRP | Low HsCRP | P-value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 624 | 224 | 400 | |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 80.34 (5.37) | 79.97 (5.57) | 80.55 (5.37) | 0.176 |
| Education years, mean (SD), years | 14.06 (3.47) | 13.71 (3.54) | 14.26 (3.32) | 0.077 |
| Female (%) | 62 | 65 | 60 | 0.269 |
| Low physical activity, % | 43 | 44 | 42 | 0.641 |
| Medication usea, (%) | 45 | 39 | 48 | 0.031 |
| Falls last year, (%) | 26 | 27 | 25 | 0.643 |
| Blessed test score, mean (SD) | 2.04 (2.19) | 2.27 (2.13) | 1.91 (2.22) | 0.007 |
| Gait velocity, mean (±SD), cm/s | 95.52 (22.90) | 92.77 (24.20) | 97.06 (22.02) | 0.029 |
| Medical illnesses | ||||
| Diabetes, % | 17 | 20 | 15 | 0.136 |
| Heart failure, % | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0.154 |
| Hypertension, % | 63 | 66 | 62 | 0.311 |
| Depression, % | 11 | 14 | 10 | 0.147 |
| Stroke, % | 10 | 12 | 9 | 0.268 |
| Parkinson's disease, % | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.302 |
| Chronic lung disease, % | 7 | 11 | 4 | 0.002 |
| Angina, % | 9 | 11 | 8 | 0.305 |
| Myocardial infarction, % | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0.071 |
| Severe arthritis, % | 5 | 4 | 6 | 0.414 |
| Illness index (range 0–10) | 1.31 (1.04) | 1.44 (1.07) | 1.24 (1.01) | 0.024 |
| Laboratory test | ||||
| Total cholesterol, mean (SD) | 189.11 (39.58) | 193.99 (38.76) | 186.39 (39.82) | 0.010 |
aMedications include statins, prednisone, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or oestrogens.
*P-values are for comparison of subject with high HsCRP versus rest, and derived from Chi-square or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables.