Table 1.
Baseline, anthropometric, biochemical and tomographic characteristics by categories of self-perceived psychological stress
| Risk factors | Never/periods | Chronic ≥ 5y | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 1117 | n = 126 | ||
| Female n (%) | 555 (49.7) | 79 (62.7) | 0.006 |
| Current smokers n (%) | 242 (21.7) | 30 (23.8) | 0.581 |
| Alcohol intake n (%) | 119 (10.7) | 12 (9.5) | 0.805 |
| Sedentary lifestyle n (%) | 498 (44.6) | 71 (56.3) | 0.012 |
| Hypertension n (%) | 222 (19.9) | 21 (16.7) | 0.389 |
| Diabetes n (%) | 172 (15.4) | 16 (12.7) | 0.423 |
| Dyslipidemia n (%) | 183 (16.4) | 24 (19) | 0.422 |
| Metabolic syndrome n (%) | 480 (43) | 61 (48.4) | 0.243 |
| Physical Inactivity n (%) | 500 (44.8) | 72 (57.1) | 0.008 |
| Overweight n (%) | 538 (48.2) | 48 (38.1) | 0.024 |
| Obesity n (%) | 354 (31.7) | 61 (48.4) | 0.001 |
| Increased IMT n (%) | 170 (22) | 42 (37.5) | <0.001 |
| Anthropometric and Biochemical | |||
| Age (years) | 54.2 (53.7-54.8) | 53.4 (52.0-54.9) | 0.417 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 95.5 (87.7-102.5) | 96 (89–106.9) | 0.214 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28 (25.5-31.1) | 29.8 (26.4-32.3) | 0.002 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 114 (105 – 126) | 114 (102 – 123) | 0.353 |
| TC (mg/dl) | 191.8 (166–215) | 190 (166.6-208.9) | 0.725 |
| LDL-C (mg/dl) | 117(95.6 – 137.7) | 114 (97 – 137) | 0.571 |
| HDL-C (mg/dl) | 44 (36.3-54.3) | 42.6 (35.1 -51) | 0.309 |
| TG (mg/dl) | 149 (113–205) | 152 (109–202) | 0.712 |
| Glucose (mg/dl) | 91 (85 – 100) | 91 (83 – 102) | 0.684 |
| HOMA-IR | 4.1 (2.7-6) | 4.2 (2.9-6) | 0.628 |
| Insulin (μU/ml) | 17.4 (12.7-24.2) | 18.2 (14–23.1) | 0.510 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/dl) | 1.62 (0.82-3.36) | 1.42 (0.87-3.37) | 0.877 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 24 (18–34) | 26 (19–35) | 0.106 |
| AST (IU/L) | 25 (21–31) | 25 (22–32) | 0.120 |
| Tomographic and ultrasonography | |||
| TAF (cm2) | 443 (359–547) | 480 (377–583) | 0.035 |
| SAF (cm2) | 285 (218–366) | 319 (242–409) | 0.008 |
| VAF (cm2) | 153 (115–200) | 156 (106–192) | 0.706 |
| IMTave (mm) | 0.63 (0.55-0.73) | 0.66 (0.60-0.83) | <0.001 |
Differences between groups with the Chi square test for proportions and U-Mann Whitney test for median (range). IMT = Intima media thickness. BMI = Body mass index, BP = Blood pressure, TC = Total cholesterol, LDL = Low density lipoprotein, HDL = High-density lipoprotein, TG = Triglycerides, HOMA-IR = Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, ALT = Alanine transaminase, AST = Aspartate transaminase, TAF = Total abdominal fat, SAF = Subcutaneous abdominal fat, VAF = Visceral abdominal fat and IMTave = Intima media thickness average