Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Variable | All patients (n=355) | Partial or advanced IAB | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absent (n=230) | Present (n=125) | |||
| Age (years) | 64.4±10.3 | 63.0±10.3 | 66.8±9.7 | 0.001 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 250 (70.4) | 152 (66.1) | 98 (78.4) | 0.015 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.9±6.1 | 29.1±5.7 | 31.2±6.7 | 0.002 |
| Caucasian | 349 (98.3) | 228 (99.1) | 121 (96.8) | 0.190 |
| History of myocardial infarction | 79 (22.3) | 52 (22.6) | 27 (21.6) | 0.894 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 103 (29.0) | 64 (27.8) | 39 (31.5) | 0.540 |
| Tobacco use | 70 (19.7) | 51 (22.2) | 19 (15.3) | 0.161 |
| Hypertension | 251 (70.7) | 152 (66.4) | 99 (79.2) | 0.014 |
| Hyperlipidemia | 281 (79.2) | 181 (78.7) | 100 (80.0) | 0.891 |
| Family history of cardiac disease | 274 (77.2) | 176 (79.6) | 98 (79.7) | 1.000 |
| Known coronary artery disease | 173 (48.7) | 103 (45.0) | 70 (56.0) | 0.058 |
| Medications | ||||
| Acetylsalicylic acid | 230 (64.8) | 146 (63.5) | 84 (67.2) | 0.561 |
| Beta blocker | 167 (47.0) | 98 (42.6) | 69 (55.2) | 0.026 |
| ACE inhibitor | 142 (40.0) | 94 (40.9) | 48 (38.4) | 0.734 |
| Angiotensin receptor blocker | 48 (13.5) | 25 (10.9) | 23 (18.4) | 0.052 |
| Calcium channel blocker | 87 (24.5) | 50 (21.7) | 37 (29.6) | 0.121 |
| Statin | 224 (63.1) | 145 (63.0) | 79 (63.2) | 1.000 |
| Creatinine (µmol/L) | 88.9±42.6 | 82.7±24.2 | 100.2±62.3 | <0.001 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73m2) | 76.7±22.6 | 80.0±22.4 | 70.7±21.8 | <0.001 |
| P-wave duration (ms) | 116.1±16.8 | 106.4±9.1 | 133.9±12.4 | – |
| P-wave voltage (mV) | 0.107±0.039 | 0.113±0.040 | 0.094±0.031 | <0.001 |
| Significant coronary artery stenosis* | ||||
| Left main | 40 (11.3) | 28 (12.5) | 12 (10.2) | 0.327 |
| Left anterior descending | 138 (38.9) | 85 (37.9) | 53 (44.9) | 0.129 |
| Left circumflex | 85 (23.9) | 52 (23.2) | 33 (28.0) | 0.201 |
| Obtuse marginal | 57 (16.1) | 35 (15.6) | 22 (18.6) | 0.286 |
| Right coronary | 131 (36.9) | 77 (34.4) | 54 (45.8) | 0.026 |
| Posterior descending | 14 (3.9) | 10 (4.5) | 4 (3.4) | 0.436 |
| More than one diseased coronary artery | 135 (38.0) | 80 (35.7) | 55 (46.6) | 0.033 |
| CCA far-wall intima-media thickness (mm) | 0.848±0.194 | 0.829±0.192 | 0.883±0.193 | 0.013 |
| Right CCA far-wall IMT | 0.825±0.194 | 0.808±0.172 | 0.855±0.227 | 0.029 |
| Left CCA far-wall IMT | 0.869±0.194 | 0.847±0.273 | 0.907±0.219 | 0.034 |
| Max plaque height—right and left bulbs (mm) | 2.58±1.14 | 2.50±1.18 | 2.73±1.04 | 0.072 |
| Right max. plaque height | 2.27±1.15 | 2.18±1.16 | 2.40±1.13 | 0.093 |
| Left max. plaque height | 2.30±1.11 | 2.23±1.15 | 2.42±1.02 | 0.129 |
| Max plaque height ≥1.5 mm | 305 (85.9) | 192 (83.5) | 113 (90.4) | 0.080 |
| Total plaque area—right and left bulbs (mm2) | 42.3±35.4 | 41.1±36.1 | 44.4±34.2 | 0.197 |
| Right plaque area | 21.8±21.1 | 20.6±20.3 | 24.0±22.5 | 0.191 |
| Left plaque area | 20.3±18.6 | 20.2±19.1 | 20.6±17.6 | 0.575 |
Data are described as n (%) or mean ± SD. *, significant stenosis is defined as ≥70% occlusion of the artery (≥50% for the left main). CCA, common carotid artery; IMT, intima-media thickness.