Table 1.
Baseline (Visit 2) participant characteristics stratified by mid- to late-life C-reactive protein trajectory
| 21-Year Longitudinal Pattern of C-Reactive Protein | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||
| Characteristic | Stable Low (n = 657) | Early Ascending (n = 90) | Late Ascending (n = 137) | Early Descending (n = 79) | Late Descending (n = 134) | Stable Elevated (n = 273) |
| Demographic Variables | ||||||
| Age, mean (SD), y | 55.7 (5.2) | 55.7 (5.4) | 55.4 (5.2) | 56.8 (5.3) | 55.6 (5.0) | 54.7 (5.1)* |
| Female, No. (%) | 335 (51.0) | 66 (73.3)* | 65 (47.5) | 43 (54.4) | 108 (80.6)* | 206 (75.5)* |
| African American | 150 (22.8) | 31 (34.4)* | 30 (21.9) | 21 (26.6) | 38 (28.4) | 122 (44.7)* |
| Education | ||||||
| Less than high school | 79 (12.0) | 11 (12.2) | 10 (7.3) | 8 (10.1) | 11 (8.2) | 52 (19.1)* |
| High school/GED/vocational | 275 (41.9) | 40 (44.4) | 61 (44.5) | 31 (39.2) | 55 (41.0) | 114 (41.8) |
| College/graduate/professional | 303 (46.1) | 39 (43.3) | 66 (48.2) | 40 (50.6) | 68 (50.8) | 107 (39.2) |
| Apolipoprotein E ε4 alleles | ||||||
| 0 | 429 (65.3) | 70 (77.8)* | 105 (76.6) | 62 (78.5)* | 96 (71.6) | 216 (79.1)* |
| 1 | 208 (31.6) | 18 (20.0) | 30 (21.9) | 15 (19.0) | 33 (24.6) | 52 (19.1) |
| 2 | 20 (3.0) | 2 (2.2) | 2 (1.5) | 2 (2.5) | 5 (3.7) | 5 (1.8) |
| Physiological & Lab Variables | ||||||
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 26.0 (3.9) | 27.5 (4.3)* | 25.4 (3.4) | 28.3 (5.0)* | 29.7 (5.6)* | 31.2 (6.1)* |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 115.5 (15.7) | 119.2 (16.8)* | 114.6 (12.1) | 118.0 (15.6) | 117.0 (14.4) | 120.2 (16.7)* |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mm Hg | 72.2 (10.4) | 74.3 (11.7) | 72.7 (8.9) | 73.3 (10.5) | 72.5 (9.0) | 76.1 (10.7)* |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dl | 206.4 (36.7) | 207.2 (38.3) | 206.5 (37.7) | 206.5 (39.4) | 216.6 (43.3)* | 206.9 (32.7) |
| HDL, mg/dl | 52.3 (17.5) | 54.4 (16.1) | 53.6 (17.1) | 49.7 (17.2) | 53.3 (17.6) | 53.3 (16.3) |
| LDL, mg/dl | 130.8 (33.5) | 126.4 (36.9) | 131.3 (38.4) | 130.6 (34.6) | 137.0 (40.9)* | 127.7 (32.6) |
| Cardiovascular Disease | ||||||
| Hypertension | 135 (20.6) | 22 (24.4) | 21 (15.3) | 24 (30.4) | 44 (32.8)* | 110 (40.3)* |
| Diabetes mellitus | 26 (4.0) | 3 (3.3) | 4 (2.9) | 6 (7.6) | 13 (9.7)* | 26 (9.5)* |
| Coronary heart disease | 16 (2.5) | 2 (2.3) | 1 (0.8) | 3 (4.0) | 2 (1.5) | 8 (3.0) |
| Heart failure | 4 (0.6) | 2 (2.2) | 3 (2.2) | 2 (2.5) | 3 (2.3) | 14 (5.2) |
| Inflammatory Conditions | ||||||
| Arthritis a | 204 (31.1) | 36 (40.0) | 47 (34.3) | 31 (39.2) | 55 (41.0)* | 135 (49.5)* |
| Gout a | 21 (3.2) | 3 (3.3) | 10 (7.3)* | 6 (7.6)* | 4 (3.0) | 22 (8.1)* |
| Cancer | 37 (5.6) | 8 (8.9) | 9 (6.6) | 7 (9.0) | 7 (5.2) | 13 (4.8) |
| Medication | ||||||
| Anti-inflammatory (regular use)b | 88 (13.4) | 14 (15.6) | 21 (15.3) | 10 (12.7) | 18 (13.4) | 56 (20.5)* |
| Cholesterol lowering (last 2 weeks) | 35 (5.3) | 4 (4.4) | 7 (5.1) | 4 (5.1) | 2 (1.5) | 12 (4.4) |
| Cigarette Smoking Status | ||||||
| Current | 74 (11.3) | 21 (23.3)* | 23 (16.8) | 8 (10.1) | 17 (12.7) | 45 (16.5)* |
| Former | 263 (40.0) | 27 (30.0) | 62 (45.3) | 30 (38.0) | 49 (36.6) | 92 (33.7) |
| Never | 320 (48.7) | 42 (46.7) | 52 (38.0) | 41 (51.9) | 68 (50.8) | 136 (49.8) |
| Alcohol Consumption | ||||||
| Current | 393 (59.8) | 61 (67.8) | 98 (71.5)* | 44 (55.7) | 78 (58.2) | 148 (54.2) |
| Former | 113 (17.2) | 6 (6.7) | 21 (15.3) | 15 (19.0) | 20 (14.9) | 50 (18.3) |
| Never | 151 (23.0) | 25 (25.6) | 18 (13.1) | 20 (25.3) | 36 (26.9) | 75 (27.5) |
*
Difference between group and the Stable Low (referent group) statistically significant (p < .05)
a
Assessed at Visit 4 (1996–1998)
b
Assessed at Visit 5 (2011–2013)