Table 1.
Characteristics of subjects.
| Variable | Malay (n=315) | Chinese (n=393) | Total (n=708) | p† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 46.93 (16.06) | 48.31 (12.99) | 47.69 (14.44) | 0.218 |
| Height (cm) | 165.7 (6.4) | 168.3 (6.2) | 167.17 (6.41) | 0.004 |
| Weight (kg) | 71.13 (13.58) | 68.39 (11.27) | 69.61 (12.42) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.86 (4.50) | 24.12 (3.53) | 24.89 (4.08) | <0.001 |
| TSH (mIU/l) | 1.51 (0.73) | 1.48 (0.68) | 1.49 (0.700) | 0.534 |
| FT4 (pmol/l) | 16.00 (2.06) | 15.82 (1.85) | 15.90 (1.95) | 0.232 |
| FT3 (pmol/l) | 5.06 (0.53) | 5.15 (0.47) | 5.11 (0.50) | 0.017 |
| TC (mmol/l) | 5.59 (1.00) | 5.46 (0.93) | 5.51 (0.96) | 0.075 |
| TG (mmol/l) | 1.50 (0.68) | 1.43 (0.71) | 1.46 (0.70) | 0.217 |
| HDL-C (mmol/l) | 1.21 (0.25) | 1.29 (0.27) | 1.26 (0.26) | <0.001 |
| LDL-C (mmol/l) | 3.68 (0.89) | 3.50 (0.82) | 3.58 (0.86) | 0.005 |
| TC/HDL ratio | 4.76 (1.13) | 4.35 (0.94) | 4.54 (1.05) | <0.001 |
All values are expressed in mean (standard deviation).
†Comparison is made between the Chinese and the Malay subjects. P values less than 0.05 indicates significant difference between the two ethnicities.
Abbreviation: BMI=body mass index; FT3=free triiodothyronine; FT4=free thyroxine; HDL-C=high density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C=low density lipoprotein cholesterol; TC=total cholesterol; TG=triglyceride; TSH=thyroid-stimulating hormone.