Table 1.
Baseline characteristics by serum potassium categories in a pooled cohort of MESA and CHS participants (N=9651)
| Baseline Characteristics | Potassium Concentration, mEq/L | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <3.5 | 3.5–3.9 | 4.0–4.4 | 4.5–4.9 | ≥5.0 | |
| Total, n | 323 | 1582 | 5134 | 2343 | 269 |
| Clinical measures | |||||
| Age, yr | 69.8 (8) | 67.1 (9) | 65.8 (10) | 65.5 (11) | 66.1 (11) |
| Women, % | 70.0 | 67.9 | 58.9 | 49.7 | 41.6 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.3 (5) | 27.7 (6) | 27.5 (5) | 27.6 (5) | 27.3 (5) |
| Systolic BP, mmHg | 139.4 (21) | 135.7 (23) | 129.2 (22) | 127.2 (21) | 129.4 (21) |
| Diastolic BP, mmHg | 73.7 (11) | 73.2 (11) | 71.4 (11) | 70.6 (10) | 71.2 (10) |
| Fasting blood glucose, mg/dl | 117.4 (50) | 106.2 (30) | 105.6 (32) | 105.5 (32) | 115.6 (49) |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl | 204.5 (42) | 200.1 (37) | 202.4 (38) | 200.5 (38) | 200.2 (34) |
| HDL-C, mg/dl | 55.7 (16) | 54.6 (16) | 53.0 (15) | 52.2 (15) | 51.2 (15) |
| LDL-C, mg/dl | 121.9 (37) | 119.7 (33) | 123.0 (34) | 122.0 (34) | 123.6 (30) |
| Triglycerides, mg/dl median (25%, 75%) | 120 (86, 166) | 113 (84, 158) | 114 (84, 162) | 116 (83, 161) | 108 (78, 160) |
| eGFR, ml/min per 1.73 m2 | 75.1 (18) | 80.4 (18) | 81.8 (17) | 78.6 (18) | 73.9 (24) |
| Demographics, % | |||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 60.7 | 52.0 | 55.8 | 59.5 | 50.9 |
| Education greater than high school | 45.2 | 53.6 | 56.3 | 57.3 | 55.8 |
| Cigarette smoking status | |||||
| Never | 52.3 | 53.9 | 50.8 | 44.6 | 43.9 |
| Former | 37.2 | 34.5 | 37.1 | 39.7 | 43.5 |
| Current | 10.5 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 15.7 | 12.6 |
| Pack-years cigarette smoking, median, (25%, 75%) | 0 (0, 18) | 0 (0, 15) | 0 (0, 17.5) | 1.9 (0, 24) | 2.0 (0, 22) |
| Comorbidities, % | |||||
| Diabetes | 20.7 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 13.2 | 23.4 |
| eGFR<60 ml/min per 1.73 m2 | 22.0 | 13.7 | 10.4 | 16.2 | 26.8 |
| Hypertension | 85.8 | 61.1 | 37.8 | 35.9 | 42.0 |
| Cancer diagnosis, ever | 9.6 | 11.6 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 12.3 |
| Medications, % | |||||
| Any diuretic | 74.5 | 39.1 | 12.8 | 9.2 | 10.0 |
| Thiazide diuretics | 63.8 | 33.1 | 9.4 | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| Loop diuretics | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Potassium-sparing agents | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories | 17.7 | 15.6 | 14.6 | 16.9 | 17.1 |
| Potassium supplements | 20.5 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| β Agonists (sympathomimetics, oral and inhaled) | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.5 |
| β Blockers | 14.3 | 10.7 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 11.2 |
| ACE inhibitor and/or ARB use | 13.0 | 14.2 | 11.3 | 14.7 | 22.7 |
MESA, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis; CHS, Cardiovascular Health Study; BMI, body mass index; ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; ARB, angiotensin II receptor blockers.