Table 1.
Characteristics of control subjects and post‐ACS and NSTE‐ACS patients
| Controls n = 41 | Post‐ACS n = 57 | NSTE‐ACS n = 26 | P‐value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 67 (66–72) | 66 (61–71) | 68 (61–73) | NS |
| Female, n (%) | 11 (27) | 12 (21) | 8 (31) | NS |
| BMI, kg m−2 | 26 (25–28) | 27 (25–30) | 26 (24–31) | NS |
| Smoking, n (%) | 1 (2) | 6 (11) | 3 (12) | NS |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 0 (0) | 12 (21) | 8 (31) | NS |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 5 (12) | 28 (49) | 16 (62) | NS |
| Statin use, long term/short terma, n (%) | 4 (9.7)/0(0) | 54 (95)/0 (0) | 8 (31)/9 (35) | <0.001 |
| Arterial imaging | ||||
| Coronary angiography 0‐/1‐/2‐/3‐vessel diseaseb, n | – | 2/21/16/18 | 0/10/5/11 | NS |
| IMT, right CCA, mm | 0.78 (0.70–0.95) | 0.80 (0.70–0.95) | – | NS |
| IMT, left CCA, mm | 0.80 (0.70–0.90) | 0.75 (0.65–0.95) | – | NS |
| Presence of plaques in right carotid artery, n (%) | 21/41 (51) | 44 (77) | – | <0.01 |
| Presence of plaques in left carotid artery, n (%) | 24/41 (59) | 36 (63) | – | NS |
| Plasma measurements | ||||
| Total cholesterol, mmol L−1 | 5.4 (4.5–5.9) | 3.9 (3.2–4.3) | 5.0 (4.2–6.2) | <0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol, mmol L−1 | 3.1 (2.5–4.0) | 2.0 (1.7–2.4) | 2.6 (2.1–3.4) | <0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol L−1 | 1.6 (1.4–1.8) | 1.1 (0.9–1.4) | 1.3 (1.0–2.0) | <0.001 |
| Triglycerides, mmol L−1 | 1.1 (0.8–1.5) | 1.2 (0.9–1.7) | 1.4 (0.8–2.9) | NS |
| IL‐6, pg mL−1 | 2.5 (1.3–3.1) | 2.4 (1.8–3.3) | 4.8 (2.6–8.8) | <0.01 |
| IL‐10, pg mL−1 | 0.31 (0.26–0.43) | 0.31 (0.24–0.40) | 0.36 (0.25–0.55) | NS |
| Troponin T, ng L−1 c | – | – | 79 (39–132) | |
BMI, body mass index; CCA, common carotid artery; IMT, intima–media thickness; ACS, acute coronary syndrome; NSTE‐ACS, non‐ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.
Data are presented as median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated.
aStatin use: long term, simvastatin or atorvastatin >1 month; short term, high‐dose atorvastatin administered 1 day prior to coronary angiography. bBased on number of significantly stenosed vessels (>70%). cMaximum troponin T test result in the first 12 h.