Table 1. Clinical characteristics of the groups (mean±SD).

Characteristics	PEX group (n=40)	Control group (n=40)	P-value
YKL-40 (ng/ml)	102.5±68.1	65.0±28.0	<0.001
HsCRP (mg/dl)	0.7±0.6	0.3±0.2	<0.001
Total cholesterol (mg/dl)	200.1±26.8	145.5±47.0	<0.001
LDL (mg/dl)	128.3±24.1	104.2±29.0	<0.001
HDL (mg/dl)	44.7±14.5	53.5±14.2	0.002
Triglycerides (mg/dl)	134.4±49.5	107.4±36.3	0.002
Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	127.5±9.6	121.8±8.2	0.001
Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	70.1±11.4	65.2±6.9	0.010

Abbreviations: HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HsCRP, high sensitivity C-reactive protein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.