Table 1. Follow-up and baseline characteristics of the whole study population (n = 2338) and comparisons of characteristics of participants with high, intermediate and low arterial stiffness.
| Whole study population (n = 2338) | High arterial stiffness (n = 515) | Intermediate arterial stiffness (n = 1525) | Low arterial stiffness (n = 298) | p value** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Follow-up | |||||
| c-f PWV* (m/s) | 10.03[8.80–11.73] | 13.53[12.67–14.83] | 9.8[8.97–10.70] | 7.4[6.97–7.77] | |
| Age (years) | 72.08(±5.56) | 75.25(±5.10) | 71.68(±5.36) | 68.70(±4.53) | |
| Heart rate (beats/min) | 62.76(±9.91) | 65.27(±10.04) | 62.64(±9.96) | 59.04(±8.01) | |
| Mean arterial pressure (mmHg) | 95.56(±10.49) | 100.02(±10.62) | 95.44(±9.95) | 88.50(±8.89) | |
| Baseline | |||||
| Age (years) | 55.97(±5.65) | 59.21(±5.27) | 55.56(±5.44) | 52.50(±4.53) | 0.112 |
| Smoking {current smokers [n (%)]} | 398(17) | 63(12.2) | 273(17.9) | 62(20.8) | 0.230 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 137.58(±17.64) | 145.48(±17.67) | 136.33(±16.89) | 130.28(±16.55) | <0.001 |
| Waist (cm) | 81.25(±11.60) | 84.99(±12.29) | 80.55(±11.31) | 78.41(±10.32) | <0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol(mmol/L) | 1.43(±0.37) | 1.38(±0.38) | 1.44(±0.36) | 1.46(±0.35) | 0.002 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.09(±0.96) | 4.30(±0.99) | 4.05(±0.94) | 3.91(±0.95) | 0.015 |
| Diabetes [n (%)] | 121(5.2) | 60(11.7) | 55(3.6) | 6(2) | <0.001 |
| Lipid lowering drug medication [n (%)] | 43(1.8) | 17(3.3) | 20(1.3) | 6(2) | 0.234 |
| Anti- hypertensive medication [n (%)] | 272(11.6) | 95(18.4) | 158(10.4) | 19(6.4) | <0.001 |
| Ceruloplasmin* (g/L) | 0.49[0.43–0.56] | 0.50[0.43–0.57] | 0.48[0.43–0.56] | 0.48[0.42–0.55] | 0.009 |
| Alpha-1-antitrypsin(g/L) | 1.18(±0.25) | 1.18(0.25) | 1.18(0.24) | 1.16(0.27) | 0.321 |
| Orosomucoid(g/L) | 0.68(±0.20) | 0.71(0.20) | 0.67(0.19) | 0.64(0.19) | <0.001 |
| Haptoglobin(g/L) | 1.25(±0.51) | 1.31(0.51) | 1.23(0.50) | 1.20(0.52) | 0.025 |
| Complement C3*(g/L) | 1.45[1.28–1.64] | 1.54[1.35–1.72] | 1.43[1.28–1.62] | 1.37[1.19–1.58] | <0.001 |
| CRP* (mg/L) | 1.10 [0.60–2.30] | 1.50[0.70–2.80] | 1.10[0.60–2.20] | 0.80[0.50–1.60] | <0.001 |
Values are expressed as means (±SD) or percentages unless specified elsewise. High arterial stiffness: c-f PWV ≥12 m/s; intermediate arterial stiffness: ≥8 m/s and <12m/s; Low arterial stiffness: c-f PWV <8 m/s
*median [25th–75th percentile].
** p—values for differences between groups with high, intermediate and low arterial stiffness after adjustment for age, sex heart rate and mean arterial pressure (MAP).