Table 1.
Characteristics of CHS Participants at Baseline by Serum Potassium
| Characteristic | Serum Potassium (mEq/L) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <4.0 | 4-<4.5 | ≥4.5 | p Value | |
| No. of participants | 1,215 | 2,549 | 990 | |
| Serum potassium (mEq/L) | 3.70±0.22 | 4.20±0.13 | 4.66±0.19 | |
| Age (y) | 72.6±5.3 | 72.4±5.4 | 73.7±6.1 | <.001 |
| Male | 362 (29.8%) | 1,040 (40.8%) | 538 (54.3%) | <.001 |
| Black | 260 (21.4%) | 279 (10.9%) | 91 (9.2%) | <.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.8±4.9 | 26.3±4.5 | 25.7±4.2 | <.001 |
| Waist (cm) | 93.7±13.3 | 93.2±12.9 | 93.0±12.3 | .34 |
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | 138.6±22.0 | 134.8±21.6 | 134.1±21.1 | <.001 |
| Hypertension medication | 811 (66.7%) | 922 (36.2%) | 343 (34.6%) | <.001 |
| Beta blocker | 156 (12.8%) | 286 (11.2%) | 134 (13.5%) | .11 |
| ACE-I | 86 (7.1%) | 125 (4.9%) | 77 (7.8%) | .001 |
| Diuretic | 595 (49.0%) | 436 (17.1%) | 122 (12.3%) | <.001 |
| Thiazide diuretics without k-sparing agents | 323 (26.6%) | 140 (5.5%) | 31 (3.1%) | <.001 |
| Thiazide diuretics with k-sparing agents | 190 (15.6%) | 158 (6.2%) | 41 (4.1%) | <.001 |
| Loop diuretics | 75 (6.2%) | 133 (5.2%) | 47 (4.7%) | .30 |
| CHD | 213 (17.5%) | 413 (16.2%) | 201 (20.3%) | .02 |
| CHF | 52 (4.3%) | 72 (2.8%) | 40 (4.0%) | .04 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) | 4.6±6.6 | 4.0±6.4 | 4.6±8.8 | .009 |
| eGFRcys | 78.9±19.8 | 79.7±18.4 | 73.9±19.2 | <.001 |
| HDL (mg/dL) | 57.0±16.9 | 55.6±15.6 | 53.7±15.3 | <.001 |
| LDL (mg/dL) | 127.6±34.8 | 131.8±35.2 | 131.3±34.1 | .002 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 134.1±71.2 | 133.0±64.4 | 133.2±67.6 | .89 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 100.0±10.6 | 99.1±9.5 | 100.0±9.4 | .01 |
| Insulin (IU/mL) | 14.5±7.9 | 13.6±11.7 | 13.4±6.5 | .01 |
| Physical activity (kcal/wk) | 1,637±1843 | 1,817±2117 | 1,901±2,189 | .007 |
| Self-reported health | ||||
| Excellent | 147 (12.1%) | 412 (16.2%) | 162 (16.4%) | <.001 |
| Very good | 278 (23.0%) | 673 (26.4%) | 270 (27.3%) | |
| Good | 459 (37.9%) | 965 (37.9%) | 351 (35.5%) | |
| Fair | 269 (22.2%) | 441 (17.3%) | 179 (18.1%) | |
| Poor | 57 (4.7%) | 55 (2.2%) | 26 (2.6%) | |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never | 626 (51.5%) | 1,190 (46.7%) | 402 (40.6%) | <.001 |
| Former | 455 (37.4%) | 1,050 (41.2%) | 452 (45.7%) | |
| Current | 134 (11.0%) | 309 (12.1%) | 136 (13.7%) | |
| Alcohol (drinks/wk) | ||||
| None | 642 (52.8%) | 1,112 (43.6%) | 451 (45.6%) | <.001 |
| <7 | 438 (36.0%) | 1,025 (40.2%) | 376 (38.0%) | |
| 7+ | 135 (11.1%) | 412 (16.2%) | 163 (16.5%) | |
| Dietary potassium* | 3,334±1,118 | 3,307±1,099 | 3,216±1,076 | .02 |
| Diet score* | 0.47±0.50 | 0.46±0.50 | 0.42±0.49 | .07 |
Notes: ACE-I = angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; BMI = body mass index; BP = blood pressure; CHD = cardiovascular heart disease; CHS = Cardiovascular Health Study; CHD = cardiovascular heart disease; eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate; HDL = high-density lipoprotein; LDL = low density lipoprotein.
*Available only among participants enrolled in 1989–1990. Diet score between 1 and 5 corresponding to a value related to the sum of participant’s quintile of intake of foods with high dietary fiber, low glycemic index, trans fats, high polyunsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio (24).