Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the Italian type 2 diabetic patients
| Variables | Patients with type 2 diabetes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All (n = 191) | Not taking aspirin (n = 97) | Taking aspirin (n = 94) | p valuea | |
| Men, n (%) | 104 (54.4) | 47 (48.5) | 57 (60.6) | 0.11 |
| Age, median (IQR), years | 65 (60–70) | 64 (59–70) | 66.0 (61–69) | 0.139 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.1 (25.1–31.1) | 28.7 (25.3–32) | 28.1 (24.8–30.8) | 0.191 |
| Diabetes duration, years | 5 (1–11.5) | 1 (1–7.2) | 7 (3–20) | <0.0001 |
| Smoking | 4 (2.1) | 1 (1.0) | 3 (3.2) | 0.084 |
| Diabetes duration > 1 year, n (%) | 111 (58.1) | 39 (40.2) | 72 (76.6) | <0.0001 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 135 (125–140) | 130.5 (120–145) | 135 (130–140) | 0.354 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 80 (70–85) | 80 (76–90) | 80 (70–82) | 0.017 |
| Fasting plasma glucose (mmol/l) | 7.44 (6.55–8.5) | 7.72 (6.77–9.51) | 7.11 (6.16–8.27) | 0.006 |
| HbA1c (mmol/mol) | 52 (46–58) | 52 (46–56) | 52 (46–61) | 0.603 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.9 (6.4–7.5) | 6.9 (6.4–7.3) | 6.9 (6.4–7.7) | 0.603 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 108 (56.5) | 48 (49.5) | 60 (63.8) | 0.002 |
| Hypercholesterolaemia, n (%) | 134 (70.2) | 63 (64.9) | 71 (75.5) | 0.112 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 4.93 (4.31–5.64) | 4.96 (4.49–5.68) | 4.78 (4.00–5.45) | 0.038 |
| HDL-cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.25 (1.04–1.49) | 1.31 (1.11–1.52) | 1.21 (0.98–1.45) | 0.086 |
| Triacylglycerols (mmol/l) | 1.39 (0.96–1.93) | 1.50 (1.00–2.09) | 1.34 (0.90–1.89) | 0.233 |
| LDL-cholesterol (mmol/l) | 2.88 (2.31–3.46) | 2.96 (2.43–3.49) | 2.72 (2.17–3.43) | 0.125 |
| Microvascular complications, n (%) | 28 (14.7) | 8 (8.2) | 20 (21.3) | 0.002 |
| Macrovascular complications, n (%) | 38 (19.9) | 3 (3.1) | 35 (37.2) | <0.0001 |
| Previous MI, n (%) | 7 (3.7) | 0 (0) | 7 (7.4) | 0.001 |
| Previous stroke, n (%) | 3 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 3 (3.2) | 0.052 |
| Previous TIA, n (%) | 5 (2.6) | 0 (0) | 5 (5.3) | 0.006 |
| Carotid stenosis, n (%) | 6 (3.1) | 0 (0) | 6 (6.4) | 0.006 |
| Medical treatment | ||||
| Statin, n (%) | 52 (27.2) | 15 (15.5) | 37 (39.4) | <0.0001 |
| Metformin, n (%) | 73 (38.2) | 28 (28.9) | 45 (47.9) | 0.007 |
| PPAR-γ, n (%) | 11 (5.8) | 1 (1.03) | 10 (10.6) | 0.009 |
| Sulfonylurea, n (%) | 38 (19.9) | 13 (13.4) | 25 (26.6) | 0.036 |
| Insulin, n (%) | 18 (9.4) | 4 (4.1) | 14 (14.9) | 0.021 |
| Glinide, n (%) | 8 (4.2) | 0 (0) | 8 (8.5) | 0.006 |
| Incretin, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 | – |
| Ezetimibe, n (%) | 1 (0.5) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0) | 1.000 |
| Fibrate, n (%) | 4 (2.1) | 0 (0) | 4 (4.3) | 0.057 |
| PUFA, n (%) | 8 (4.2) | 2 (2.1) | 6 (6.4) | 0.167 |
| ACE inhibitor, n (%) | 47 (24.6) | 23 (23.7) | 24 (25.5) | 0.862 |
| ARB, n (%) | 31 (16.2) | 10 (10.3) | 21 (22.3) | 0.027 |
| Diuretic, n (%) | 32 (16.8) | 13 (13.4) | 19 (20.2) | 0.237 |
| β-blocker, n (%) | 22 (11.5) | 5 (5.2) | 17 (18.1) | 0.006 |
| CCA, n (%) | 23 (12.0) | 11 (11.3) | 12 (12.8) | 0.824 |
| PPI, n (%) | 21 (11) | 4 (4.1) | 17 (18.1) | 0.016 |
aBy Mann–Whitney, χ 2 or Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; CCA, calcium channel blocker; IQR, interquartile range; PPAR-γ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; MI, myocardial infarction; PPI, proton pump inhibitor; TIA, transient ischaemic attack