Table 1. Distribution of Variables in Patients with (EPC+) and Without (EPC-) Circulating EPC.
| Variable | All (n = 121) | EPC+ (n = 57) | EPC- (n = 64) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 70.1 (12.6) | 70.9 (12.7) | 69.4 (12.6) | 0.52 |
| Gender (% men) | 65.3% | 66.7% | 64.1% | 0.84 |
| High blood pressure | 76% | 43.5% | 56.5% | 0.20 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 28.1% | 28.1% | 28.1% | 1 |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 35.5% | 35.1% | 35.9% | 0.53 |
| Coronary Artery Disease | 19.8% | 22.8% | 17.2% | 0.29 |
| Smoking | 22.3% | 19.3% | 25% | 0.42 |
| Alcohol abuse | 5.8% | 7% | 4.7% | 0.70 |
| Peripheral Artery Disease | 10.7% | 7% | 14.1% | 0.25 |
| Atrial Fibrillation | 23.1% | 26.3% | 20.3% | 0.51 |
| Congestive Heart Failure | 24% | 26.3% | 21.9% | 0.67 |
| Previous TIA | 11.6% | 12.3% | 10.9% | 1 |
| Previous cerebral infarct | 11.6% | 12.3% | 10.9% | 1 |
| Statins prior to admission | 30.6% | 33.3% | 28.1% | 0.55 |
| Statins during follow-up | 93.8% | 93.6% | 93.9% | 1 |
| Intravenous thrombolysis (rt-PA) | 22.3% | 28% | 17.1% | 0.11 |
| Stroke etiological subtype | 0.20 | |||
| Large-artery atherothrombosis | 14.9% | 8.8% | 20.3% | |
| Cardiac embolism | 40.5% | 49.1% | 32.8% | |
| Small-vessel disease | 4.1% | 10.5% | 17.2% | |
| Uncommon etiology | 26.4% | 5.3% | 3.1% | |
| Cryptogenic | 14% | 26.3% | 26.6% | |
| Prior Rankin scale score | 0.54 | |||
| 0 | 89.3% | 86% | 92.2% | |
| 1 | 6.6% | 5.3% | 4.7% | |
| 2 | 4.1% | 8.8% | 3.1% | |
| NIHSS at admission (Median, IQR) | 6 (3–14) | 6 (3,14) | 6(2.25,12) | 0.96 |
| Vascular Event | 18 (14.9%) | 6 (10.5%) | 12 (18.8%) | 0.058 |
| Ischemic stroke recurrence | 12 (9.9%) | 4 (7%) | 8 (12.5%) | 0.104 |