Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes according to leukocyte telomere length quartile
| Variables | Quartile 1 (n = 169) | Quartile 2 (n = 171) | Quartile 3 (n = 177) | Quartile 4 (n = 174) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTL (T/S ratio) | 0.33 ± 0.09 | 0.52 ± 0.04 | 0.72 ± 0.08 | 1.16 ± 0.34 | <0.0001 |
| Age (yr) | 57.8 ± 9.8 | 57.7 ± 9.7 | 55.4 ± 9.5 | 54.1 ± 10.1 | 0.001 |
| Female (%) | 52.1 | 47.4 | 55.4 | 52.9 | 0.507 |
| Ethnicity (%) | <0.0001 | ||||
| Chinese | 68.0 | 57.9 | 49.2 | 48.3 | |
| Malay | 11.2 | 15.8 | 23.2 | 28.7 | |
| Indian | 20.7 | 26.3 | 27.7 | 23.0 | |
| Body weight (kg) | 69.5 ± 14.1 | 70.7 ± 15.2 | 71.8 ± 14.2 | 73.6 ± 16.0 | 0.089 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.0 ± 4.9 | 27.4 ± 5.1 | 27.8 ± 4.7 | 28.1 ± 5.5 | 0.218 |
| Current smokers (%) | 9.5 | 5.8 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 0.644 |
| CVD history (%) | 8.8 | 17.3 | 11.4 | 12.0 | 0.587 |
| HbA1c (%) | 7.69 ± 1.18 | 7.59 ± 1.24 | 7.55 ± 1.16 | 7.63 ± 1.32 | 0.740 |
| FPG (%) | 7.99 ± 2.53 | 7.67 ± 2.51 | 7.97 ± 2.25 | 7.79 ± 2.40 | 0.557 |
| Diabetes duration (yr) | 10.7 ± 8.7 | 10.1 ± 7.8 | 9.6 ± 7.5 | 9.4 ± 8.8 | 0.437 |
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | 137 ± 18 | 138 ± 16 | 136 ± 16 | 134 ± 14 | 0.214 |
| Diastolic BP (mm Hg) | 78.8 ± 8.6 | 78.8 ± 9.4 | 80.0 ± 9 | 78 ± 9 | 0.486 |
| Total cholesterol (mM) | 4.36 ± 0.85 | 4.29 ± 0.85 | 4.50 ± 0.98 | 4.41 ± 0.95 | 0.202 |
| HDL-C (mM) | 1.34 ± 0.39 | 1.33 ± 0.46 | 1.26 ± 0.31 | 1.29 ± 0.30 | 0.180 |
| LDL-C (mM) | 2.69 ± 0.72 | 2.63 ± 0.75 | 2.87 ± 0.85 | 2.79 ± 0.87 | 0.023 |
| Triglycerides (mM) | 1.37 (1.06–1.86) | 1.28 (0.94–1.81) | 1.45 (1.08–1.91) | 1.23 (0.95–1.84) | 0.104 |
| Renal function | |||||
| uACR (μg/mg) | 19 (7–48) | 13 (5–38) | 13 (5–36) | 10 (3–29) | 0.014 |
| eGFR (ml/min per 1.73 m2) | 96.6 ± 14.9 | 95.6 ± 15.0 | 96.2 ± 16.2 | 98.6 ± 15.6 | 0.301 |
| Usage of medication (%) | |||||
| Metformin | 87.5 | 83.5 | 89.8 | 80.9 | 0.084 |
| Insulin | 23.2 | 17.2 | 25.4 | 19.1 | 0.221 |
| Statin | 84.5 | 81.8 | 82.5 | 76.3 | 0.244 |
| RAS antagonist | 58.4 | 50.6 | 46.0 | 55.2 | 0.108 |
Data are described as mean ± SD or median (25th, 75th interval) for skewed variables or proportion of participants (%) where appropriate. Bold values represent statistically significant data.
BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; CVD, cardiovascular disease; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LTL, leukocyte telomere length; RAS, renin-angiotensin system; T/S ratio, telomere to single copy gene ratio; uACR, urine albumin creatinine ratio.