Table 1.
Characteristics of Participants by the Number of Retinal Signs
| Characteristics | < 2 Retinal Signs (n = 819) | ≥ 2 Retinal Signs (n = 61) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 77.5 ± 4.0 | 78.1 ± 4.2 | 0.281 |
| Male, % | 39.4 | 32.8 | 0.304 |
| White, % | 86.1 | 82.0 | 0.375 |
| Alcohol consumption, % | 43.8 | 42.6 | 0.854 |
| Current smoking, % | 6.2 | 14.8 | 0.011 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.8 ± 4.3 | 27.4 ± 4.4 | 0.267 |
| Cardiovascular disease, %† | 25.4 | 23.0 | 0.671 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 129.8 ± 18.3 | 140.0 ± 19.7 | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes, % | 14.3 | 19.7 | 0.251 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl | 203.5 ± 38.1 | 207.3 ± 40.4 | 0.458 |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dl | 101.6 ± 29.9 | 107.3 ± 32.8 | 0.157 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 1.0 ± 0.3 | 1.0 ± 0.3 | 0.487 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/l | 2.2 [1.1, 5.1] | 2.5 [1.0, 5.5] | 0.851 |
| Internal carotid artery IMT, mm | 1.5 [1.0, 2.1] | 1.5 [1.2, 2.5] | 0.059 |
| Antihypertensive medication, % | 54.5 | 52.5 | 0.763 |
| Lipid-lowering medication, % | 18.1 | 14.8 | 0.514 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; IMT, intima-media thickness.
SI unit conversion: Multiply 0.0259 to convert serum total cholesterol from mg/dl to mmol/l; 0.0555 to convert fasting glucose from mg/dl to mmol/l; 88.4 to convert creatinine from mg/dl to μmol/l; and 9.524 to convert C-reactive protein from mg/l to nmol/l.
*
Data were presented in mean ± standard deviation, median [25th percentile, 75th percentile], or percent.
†
Cardiovascular disease includes prevalent coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and stroke at the 1997–1998 visit.