Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population according to quartiles of RBC aggregation levels (N = 196).
| RBC Aggregation CSS (mPa), Quartiles $ | p-Trend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (n = 48) | Q2 (n = 49) | Q3 (n = 50) | Q4 (n = 49) | ||
| Age (years) | 42.13 ± 13.99 | 40.08 ± 13.00 | 41.51 ± 11.53 | 46.63 ± 10.68 | 0.055 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.72 ± 4.97 | 23.12 ± 4.02 | 24.86 ± 5.61 | 27.16 ± 5.64 | 0.001 |
| Male (n, %) | 23 (47.9) | 24 (49.0) | 24 (49.8) | 24 (49.0) | 0.999 |
| Hyperlipidemia (n, %) | 15 (31.3) | 12 (24.5) | 18 (36.0) | 31 (63.3) | <0.001 |
| MetS (n, %) | 11 (22.9) | 5 (10.2) | 15 (30.0) | 22 (44.9) | 0.001 |
| Lipids | |||||
| Total C (mg/dL) | 188.44 ± 38.73 | 193.00 ± 27.01 | 200.60 ± 36.92 | 213.49 ± 41.69 | 0.005 |
| TG (mg/dL) | 99.54 ± 67.29 | 100.29 ± 63.02 | 116.18 ± 67.40 | 165.88 ± 88.67 | <0.001 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 60.21 ± 15.60 | 56.33 ± 12.59 | 55.10 ± 16.48 | 53.73 ± 15.78 | 0.184 |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 105.83 ± 30.81 | 115.31 ± 25.52 | 120.94 ± 31.23 | 129.24 ± 35.53 | 0.003 |
| Iron | |||||
| HCT (%) | 42.28 ± 5.58 | 43.72 ± 7.13 | 42.33 ± 7.97 | 43.90 ± 8.90 | 0.577 |
| Hb (g/dL) | 14.55 ± 1.99 | 15.00 ± 2.63 | 14.44 ± 3.05 | 15.04 ± 3.18 | 0.614 |
| Free Hb (μg/mL) | 157.27 ± 49.48 | 143.84 ± 52.73 | 162.09 ± 45.42 | 154.99 ± 59.97 | 0.472 |
| SF (ng/mL) | 141.74 ± 169.22 | 131.27 ± 103.73 | 139.56 ± 167.79 | 189.90 ± 137.88 | 0.191 |
| TS (%) | 31.51 ± 12.05 | 35.01 ± 12.21 | 27.97 ± 13.75 | 25.71 ± 8.67 | 0.001 |
| Hepcidin (ng/mL) | 116.87 ± 101.17 | 151.07 ± 86.61 | 136.78 ± 102.47 | 207.19 ± 123.12 | <0.001 |
| sCD163 (ng/mL) | 761.47 ± 470.38 | 744.03 ± 411.93 | 810.59 ± 299.62 | 978.99 ± 514.13 | 0.069 |
p-trend values were analyzed by a general linear model for continuous variables, and Chi-squared for categorical variables. Continuous data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation, while categorical data are presented as a number (percentage of the same group). $ Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation critical shear stress (CSS) quartiles: Quartile 1, male ≤ 224.35, female ≤ 239.03; Quartile 2, 224.35 < male ≤ 263.12, 239.03 < female ≤ 284.21; Quartile 3, 263.12 < male ≤ 324.55, 284.21 < female ≤ 351.37; Quartile 4, male > 324.55, female > 351.37 mPa. BMI: body mass index; C: cholesterol; TG: triglycerides; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HCT: hematocrit; Hb: hemoglobin; SF: ferritin; TS: serum transferrin saturation; sCD163: soluble cluster of differentiation 163.