Table 1. Clinical characteristics of the participants.
| Variable | All participants | Carotid plaque | P‐value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 236) | + (n = 154) | – (n = 82) | ||
| Age (years) | 56 ± 13 | 60 ± 11 | 50 ± 14 | <0.0001 |
| Sex (female/male) | 81/155 | 52/102 | 29/53 | 0.81 |
| Duration of type 2 diabetes (years) | 5 [0–11] | 6 [1–15] | 3 [0–10] | 0.0069 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 127 ± 15 | 128 ± 15 | 125 ± 15 | 0.073 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 75 ± 11 | 75 ± 10 | 74 ± 11 | 0.58 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.4 ± 4.9 | 24.8 ± 4.5 | 26.4 ± 5.6 | 0.014 |
| Smoking habit, current or past (n [%]) | 148 [63] | 102 [66] | 46 [56] | 0.13 |
| Fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L) | 9.79 ± 2.99 | 9.89 ± 3.04 | 9.60 ± 2.89 | 0.48 |
| HbA1c (%) | 10.3 ± 2.1 | 10.4 ± 2.1 | 10.1 ± 1.9 | 0.41 |
| GA (%) | 28.5 ± 8.4 | 29.4 ± 8.9 | 26.8 ± 7.0 | 0.023 |
| GA/HbA1c | 2.74 ± 0.45 | 2.80 ± 0.45 | 2.63 ± 0.43 | 0.0037 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.31 ± 1.06 | 5.28 ± 1.06 | 5.37 ± 1.07 | 0.55 |
| HDL‐cholesterol (mmol/L) | 1.27 ± 0.35 | 1.26 ± 0.32 | 1.27 ± 0.41 | 0.89 |
| LDL‐cholesterol (mmol/L)* | 3.26 ± 0.89 | 3.26 ± 0.89 | 3.25 ± 0.88 | 0.93 |
| Non HDL‐cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.05 ± 1.05 | 4.02 ± 1.04 | 4.10 ± 1.08 | 0.58 |
| Triacylglycerols (mmol/L) | 1.72 ± 0.94 | 1.68 ± 0.88 | 1.81 ± 1.05 | 0.31 |
| Retinopathy (n [%]) | 49 [21] | 41 [27] | 8 [10] | 0.0014 |
| Albuminuria, >30 mg/mg·Cr (n [%]) | 36 [15] | 26 [17] | 10 [12] | 0.33 |
| Abnormal Achilles tendon reflex (n [%]) | 98 [42] | 75 [49] | 23 [28] | 0.0019 |
| Prehospital medication | ||||
| Insulin (n [%]) | 29 [12] | 23 [15] | 6 [7] | 0.078 |
| Oral hypoglycemic agent (n [%]) | 120 [51] | 81 [53] | 39 [48] | 0.46 |
| Statin (n [%]) | 47 [20] | 36 [23] | 11 [13] | 0.061 |
| Antihypertensive agent (n [%]) | 75 [32] | 57 [37] | 18 [22] | 0.016 |
| Antiplatelet agent (n [%]) | 26 [11] | 23 [15] | 3 [4] | 0.0043 |
Continuous variables are expressed as means ± SD or median [interquartile range]. *For differences between the subjects with (+) and without (–) carotid plaque. †As low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐cholesterol was calculated by the Friedewald formula, three participants (one in + and two in –) with hypertriacylglycerolemia (≥4.5 mmol/L) were excluded from the statistical analysis of LDL‐cholesterol. BMI, body mass index; GA, glycated albumin; GA/HbA1c, glycated albumin‐to‐glycated hemoglobin ratio; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL, high‐density lipoprotein.